The Chef's Choice

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The Chef runs from a broken marriage to find another.
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We came to the brow of a hill and I braked to a standstill. I had not expected such a panoramic view. The motor bike engine still ticking over, I was momentarily awestruck by the scene before me.

The road dropped away to a vast plain that at first seemed to stretch on forever, then, dimly, I saw distant smoky blue hills. They might have been the product of my imagination so insubstantial they seemed, but I knew of their solidity from the map I had studied of the area.

In the middle distance, I could see a belt of trees snaking across the landscape from horizon to horizon. They followed The Great River, which here crossed the now arid flood plain that had once, aeons ago, been a great lake or inland sea.

In the midst of the aridity, and swelling like a green tumor on either side of the river, was the irrigation area with its grapevines and citrus trees. In the midst of this green, I could see the smudge of the town I was to work in, Egret Reach.

I turned in the saddle to look at Janet, sitting on her child’s safety seat, buried beneath her crash helmet; she had been wonderfully patient during the ride from the city.

“All right, sweetheart?” I asked.

“Yes, daddy,” said a muffled little voice.

“Won’t be long now, my love. Not far to go.”

I thought I saw a wan smile behind the visor of her helmet.

“How could she?” I thought, “How could she?” But I musn’t think of that.

I kicked the bike into gear and took off down the hill to the plain below.

Approaching the town, I was on the look out for “The Egret Reach Motor Inn.” Given the size of the town it did not take me long to find it.

The Inn, like many of its kind, tended towards pretentiousness. It combined a varied collection of architectural styles, with Mock English Tudor predominating. The one feature that strove towards anything local was a somewhat unpleasant, poorly executed, monster sized painted cement statue of an Egret, standing on a lawn that fronted the road.

I pulled the bike into the inn’s parking area, turned off the engine and dismounted, hitching the bike onto its stand.

I began to unbuckle little Janet and take off her helmet. “I feel all stiff, daddy, she said.”

I was feeling somewhat that way myself after the long ride, so I lifted Janet off the seat and made my way to the door marked “Reception”, carrying her. At four years of age, she felt as if she weighed almost nothing at all.

We went in the reception area and approached the desk. I stood Janet on the floor. No one was in sight, but there was a bell, so I rang it.

There was a brief pause then a woman came through an arch behind the reception desk.

“Got here all right, then?”

“Yes, Mrs.Albright.”

“This your daughter?” Pointing at Janet.

“Yes. Say hello to Mrs.Albright, Janet.”

“Hello Mrs.Albright.”

“Hello Janet. You’re a pretty little girl, aren’t you.”

Janet hid behind my leg.

“Bit shy I’m afraid, Mrs.Albright.”

“Let’s drop the Mrs.Albright, shall we? Alice will do. And of course, I know you’re Paul.”

Alice Albright had interviewed me in the city for the position of chef at her newly acquired Egret Reach Motor Inn. I had taken the job at considerably less than I could command in many of the top class restaurants in the city, but then, in a way I was on the run.

Alice had been perfectly candid with me during the interview.

“At the moment the place looks tasteless and the accommodation very average – rated three star. Most of the time its less than half occupied and the previous owner went bankrupt. I’m aiming to build it up into something really worthwhile, perhaps even making it five star eventually.”

“Pretty tough proposition,” I had commented.

“Yes. “I’m gambling everything I’ve got on the place. The Shire Council is working to build up the town as a tourist and holiday resort. It’s situated on a beautiful bend in the river, with good fishing and plenty of wild life beyond the irrigation area. They are building a marina and have bought one of the old river paddle steamers; the “Jeremy Flynn”, to run day river trips, and are generally sprucing up the town. The shopkeepers are co-operating, painting the exteriors of their shops. Also there’s talk of a winery being established in the area.”

“Sounds good.”

“Yes. There were two cooks working at the Inn when I took over. I had to sack one because he was lazy and unhygienic, the other, a local woman, is stretched to the limit and likely to end up in the divorce court if her husband doesn’t see more of her. That’s why I’m looking for more help, but I do not just want a cook, I could get one of those locally. I want a fully-fledged chef. The present cook Agnes Dean will take on breakfast and lunches under the chef’s direction as far as the menu is concerned. The chef will take over the evening dinners, and I’m looking for high quality meals.”

“You mean first-class restaurant standard?”

“Yes. So far, the Inn restaurant hasn’t been open to the locals, but I’m going to change that. They may constantly moan about the prices they get for their fruit, but there’s plenty of money around the town, but when it comes to a decent place to eat out, there’s nothing. I’m going to provide it.”

“You’re taking on a lot.”

“I know. Now, I can’t afford to pay the sort of money that you people can command these days. Also, I’m going to be asking a great deal, of whomever I employ. I don’t want a fly-by night; I want someone who will stick with me. So why would a young chap like you take on this sort of job?”

I might have asked, “Why would a young woman like you be risking everything?” I decided not to.

She was a good looking woman of no more than thirty years of age, with a lovely oval face, auburn hair drawn back severely, and with rather forbidding eyes that seemed to look into your soul. Those eyes were on me now as she awaited my reply.

“If I were offered the job, and if I accepted it,” I said, “I would do so because I want a change. By the way, I have a little girl, my daughter, who would come with me.”

“I see.”

I think she was able to read sufficiently into what I had said not to venture closer questioning.

“What age is your daughter?”

“Four.”

She became slightly agitated and her face paled. She paused for a moment, looking as if in her mind she had gone off somewhere else.

I thought she was going to terminate the interview pointing out the inappropriateness of my bringing a child, especially one so young, with me.

Instead she gave a slight shake of her head, and began to speak again.

“Well, as I shouldn’t expect you start preparing meals before mid afternoon, although I would expect you to prepare the menus for all the meals and make out orders for supplies, you could have her with you quite a lot of the time. I’d be prepared to keep an eye on her after that, and I’ll make a special bedroom arrangement for her so I can look in on her during the evening.”

I gathered from the way she was speaking that I had the job, although why she would want someone with a small girl in tow, I couldn’t fathom. Even more surprising was her suggestion that she take some responsibility for Janet by “Looking in on her.”

My conjecture was correct; I got the job, with the understanding that if after three months we found we suited each other, we would sign a two-year contract.

So here I was in Egret Reach, and Alice Albright went on, looking at Janet, “She really is a lovely looking little girl, isn’t she?”

“Yes, takes after her mo…”

Why couldn’t I shake that woman out of my mind? Sybil had not only deserted me, but our little girl as well.

I had arrived home at 1.45 a.m. one night to find the house deserted and a note which simply said, “Janet with your parents. I’m leaving you. Don’t try to find me.”

At that moment, everything took on an air of unreality. This couldn’t be happening. I had kissed Sybil and Janet goodbye when I left for work as usual. Nothing had indicated to me that this was going to transpire. I went through the house looking for I didn’t know what, then I opened the wardrobe door. All Sybil’s clothes had gone.

I glanced at the answering machine beside the telephone and saw that three calls had been recorded. “She’s ringing to tell me it’s all a silly joke,” I tried to convince myself, but they were all calls from my parents.

The first two were addressed to Sybil, asking what time she was coming to pick Janet up. The third was for me.”

“Paul, we think there’s something wrong. Sybil brought Janet round and asked if we would look after her for a couple of hours as she had some business to attend to. It is now eleven p.m. and we haven’t heard from her. Please call us when you get home, it doesn’t matter what time.”

I rang and my mother answered. I read her the note.

She was aghast but said that Janet was now in bed and I could come over to them to sleep if I wished.

Still unconvinced of the reality of what was happening, I said I would stay home and call round in the morning. I suppose I still had the vain hope that Sybil would turn up. I did not sleep that night, but sat waiting.

I was setting out for my parent’s place next morning when a neighbour, Mrs.Armitage, came up to me.”

“She’s gone, hasn’t she?”

“How do you know?”

“The whole street knows about it. One of us should have told you long ago. What do you think she’s been doing when you’re at work every night?”

I said nothing, and she went on:

“She’s been having visits from the bloke who runs that sleazy club in town. The one where they have the male strippers. She went to it one evening with a couple of girl friends. Must have got mixed up with him then. He turned up about half nine last night, and the next thing they’re putting her clothes into his car, then they’re off.”

If I’d been in my right mind I suppose I would have thought, “Nosy old devil,” but as it was, her information not only made me feel sick, it also brought me one step nearer reality.

I started the bike and roared off to the club that Mrs. Armitage had mentioned, “The Big One.” Not only was it closed, it had clearly been vacated. I went to my parents.

Apart from all the anti-Sybil criticisms from my parents, they offered to look after Janet until I managed to sort things out.

The first thing to sort out was me. I castigated myself for having a job that left a very attractive wife alone at home night after night, but then, she had known about this when we got married.

To cut a long story short, after a couple of months of waiting and searching for Sybil, I ended up selling the house and its contents and moved in with my parents where I could be close to Janet. I think my parents would willingly have taken over Janet completely they loved her so much, but I would not have that. I loved and wanted my girl, and however difficult it might be, she would stay with me.

I wanted to get away from the place that had caused me so much pain, and so I was now at Egret Reach.

Looking at my motor bike attire curiously, Alice asked, “Where did you park your car?”

“Came on the motor bike.”

“You did what!” she exploded. “You mean you brought that little one all this way on the back of a motor bike?”

“Yes.”

“You brute. A little thing like that…”

“She likes the bike.”

“I don’t care if she does like it…all that way…Are you all right darling?”

Janet, still clinging to my leg, said, “Yes, Mrs.Albright.”

Alice moved round the desk and seemed about to pick Janet up. Janet seems to have that effect on a lot of people, but Alice drew back, perhaps not wanting to risk rejection, and instead asked, “Have you eaten?”

“Yes, we stopped for lunch on the way.”

“Well, its dinner time now, and the poor child must be starving. You’d better come with me to the restaurant.”

Janet was shaking my leg. “Daddy,” she whispered, “I want to go to the toilet.”

This was one of my difficulties. When we were out, I could hardly take Janet into the women’s section of the public toilets. I usually had to wait until I saw a respectable looking woman, and ask if she would take Janet. Now I turned to Alice.

“She wants to…”

“Yes, I heard. I’ll take her. You wait here.”

She extended her hand to Janet, who looked up at me.

“Its all right, darling, Mrs.Albright will take care of you.”

Janet moved to her and took Alice’s hand and they moved off. Not for the first time, I felt myself near tears.

“How could she? How could she leave a lovely child like Janet?”

On their return, Alice took us first to the restaurant. Having settled Janet comfortably on a couple of cushions at a table, she asked, “Would you like to meet Mrs.Dean, the cook?”

“Of course. Daddy won’t be long sweetheart, I’m just going to meet someone.”

I had thought that Mrs.Dean might resent my taking over the kitchen, but when we were introduced she said, “Thank Gawd you’ve arrived. I couldn’t have carried on much longer. When will you take over, tomorrow?”

I looked at Alice, who seemed to indicate that it was up to me.

“Look Agnes, if you could just carry on tomorrow, I want to take a look at the stock and equipment, and probably meet up with local suppliers. Can you manage?”

“I suppose so.”

I met Agnes’s assistant, Judith, a girl about seventeen, and was told that she would be working with me in the evenings. Agnes would have a girl called Molly to help her at breakfast and lunch.

Relieved that I would not have to overcome resentment, we returned to the table.

Alice said, “I won’t be able to join you, I have to attend to the front desk. Come out to reception when you’ve finished and I’ll show you your rooms.”

When she had gone, Janet commented, “I think Mrs.Albright is a nice lady.”

“I’m sure she is, darling.”

I noted that although the meal was well cooked and reasonably presented the food itself was of second rate quality. I made a mental note to look into that.

After the meal, we did as bidden and presented ourselves at the front desk. Alice said, “I don’t expect any more people in tonight, so I’ll take you to your rooms.”

The Inn had three wings set out as three sides of a square. On the open side was the car park, and beyond the car park I could see what looked like another wing. It was towards this that we went.

As we approached it Alice said, “This was built as an additional wing some time after the others, but it was more of an optimistic investment than one based on reality. I’ve been using part of it as my living quarters. You and Janet will have the other part.”

The part we were to occupy seemed to have been two accommodation units made into one. A door had been added, and the place now consisted of a living room, a reasonable sized bedroom with a double bed, and a smaller room for Janet. It also had the curious feature of two toilets, two bathrooms and two kitchens, indicating that the work had been done in haste, there being no time to remove the superfluous equipment and fittings.

I noticed that Janet’s room had two doors, one from my side and the other, so Alice informed us, from her side. The door on her side looked new.

“I had that put in when I knew you were bringing Janet. I can keep an eye on her at night. I’ve got a girl starting in reception for evening work next week, and I’ve got my office in there,” she said, pointing to her quarters.

I was astounded by the consideration of this woman. I had never had an employer go to so much trouble for an employee before, and I said so.

“Paul, I wanted the best. For whatever reason, you’ve accepted this job at far less money than you could have got elsewhere. It’s also going to be a challenging job. Don’t call it kindness, just think that its self-interest on my part. Have you got any other clothes for the little one apart from what she’s wearing?”

“I’ve brought a few things in the panniers on the bike. The rest of our clothing and a few bits and pieces are coming by road, probably tomorrow.”

“Good. Will you be all right if I leave you now?”

“Certainly.”

“Goodnight, then. I’m very relieved to have you here.” To Janet, “Goodnight, darling. Sleep well and I’ll see you in the morning.”

She seemed to move as if to kiss Janet, but drew back and left us.

The place had all the necessary basic furniture, and the bathroom was supplied with soap and towels. I brought the bike from the car park, found a covered area behind the house and parked it. I got Janet to bathe and put her into her nightclothes and then to bed. She was almost asleep on her feet.

Her last words before I left her were, “Do you think Mrs.Albright will like me, daddy?”

Near tears again I whispered, “Of course she will, you are such a nice little girl. Goodnight.”

“I love you, daddy.”

“I love you, my sweet.”

I showered, got into bed, and for the first time in months dropped straight into a deep sleep.

Next morning we made our way to reception where Alice was already stationed.

“What do you intend to do today, Paul?”

I mentioned that I had noticed the poor quality of the food, and suggested that her suppliers might be shortchanging her.

“I can deal with that if you wish.”

“I had a suspicion that might be happening, Paul. If you would deal with it…”

“Of course. I shall look over the kitchen equipment and what we’ve got in stock, then I can get on with preparing menus, probably to cover the next three or four days.”

“Wonderful, and if you are going into the town, use the station wagon. I’ve got the keys here when you want them.”

We went into the restaurant for breakfast.

After breakfast, I kept Janet with me while I conferred with Agnes and looked over the kitchen equipment. I could see that if Alice’s hopes were fulfilled, the available equipment would not cope with the restaurant if it was more than half full.

Agnes also confirmed my views on the quality of the supplies saying, “We buy a lot of our stuff from local retailers, you know, the butcher, green grocer and baker. The buggers take advantage and give us poor quality stuff, but I haven’t known what to do about it.”

“Leave it to me, Agnes. I’ve dealt with suppliers like that before.”

“Thank Gawd,” she replied with relief.

I went to the front desk to get the car key from Alice.

“What are you going to do with Janet?”

“Take her with me.”

“Couldn’t she stay here? She could play in the room back there.”

She pointed to a room connected by an arch behind the desk.

“I could keep an eye on her.”

“Well, her toys haven’t arrived yet, so…”

“I’ll keep her amused.”

“If your sure…”

“Let’s ask Janet. Janet, would you like to stay with me while daddy goes out for a while?”

I was sure Janet would say she wanted to come with me, so my ego was deflated when she said, “Yes please.”

I left them, and drove into the town.

I had taken the names of the suppliers from the delivery dockets and in calling on them found them recalcitrant. They seemed very sure of their position as the only suppliers in the town, so in brief, I put the situation rather like this:

“Forty kilometres up stream there is another town with people supplying the same goods as you. Forty-five kilometres down stream, there is a town also with potential suppliers. No doubt, they would be happy to supply what I want. If not, I have many contacts in the city that would be happy to supply. There are trucks coming past this town all day on the highway, including refrigeration trucks. It would be little trouble for them to bring what I need. So make up your mind, do I get what I want, or do I look elsewhere?”

With surprising rapidity, given their previous cocksure resistance, they decided they could give me what I wanted.

That settled I returned to the Inn. Entering the reception area, I heard the murmur of voices, one of them being Janet’s. I could see through the arch that Alice and Janet were sitting on the floor cutting out figures from pieces of paper.

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