“Hey Assholes,” Little Tony blurted, hoping to get a response from the staff in the kitchen. They did not flinch. Little Tony looked at his list and then the list of orders hanging and yelled out “Four Crabcakes, Pan Seared Salmon, Ribeye, Tuna TarTar, Roasted Beet Soup, Duck with Frites and ….” he hesitated for a moment, “and…and, oh you guys will LOVE this. The burger”. With a sinister smile Tony continued “This particular burger has special instructions - the guest wants to remove the beef and add the portobello mushroom. Not onion or tomato, no ketchup or mustard, but BBQ sauce. And instead of the bun, the guest would like extra lettuce.” The kitchen at Cimiez was well oiled, focused, high functioning machine. Each staff was well trained and disciplined. One of the busiest kitchens in the city, yet completely spotless. Normally, no one would pay attention to Little Tony, but that bit about the burger caught Marvin's attention. “Fuck, why didn’t you recommend the salad” Marvin said as he hurriedly approached the bench. “we discussed this shit, you guys can’t continue to accept customized orders” “The table had cougars with big tits. I couldn’t say no to big tits” Little Tony said nonchalantly as he walked away. Marvin looked at the lists and tried to understand the order. He really hated its when guests customized the menu. “Joe, fire up the salmon, Ribeye and the duck.. Reo, Crabcakes!” barked out commands. In unison Joe and Reo replied “Yes Chef!” This was Joe’s second job and has spent 3 years at Cimiez. Joe got into the restaurant right after culinary school and he was quite lucky to get it. Most students don’t make it into the big leagues until they have 5-7 years work experience under their belt. But Joe is gifted - he emanates all the characteristics of a world class chef. “Reo, I am going to the walk in, need anything” Joe glanced at Reo as he wiped his hands ready to go into the cold storage. “All good Joe” Reo replied politely. The cultured Japanese young man was always cool, even under extreme pressure. To get to the walk in, Joe would have to pass doorway that leads into the corridor. the first door on the left in the corridor was access to the basement. Joe acquired his ingredients and returned to his station hurriedly. The sequence of ingredients required for each item started to appear in his mind. This was all muscle memory for Joe, yet, he still kept a little note pad with all the steps. His work was always perfect. **** Working in the kitchen meant that Joe did not have normal hours. When most people are waking up, Joe is asleep. When most people are eating, Joe is working. So when the kitchen finally closed down and everyone headed home, most people are already on their second dream. This did not bother Joe, he was happy. The work was exciting and he felt like he accomplished something at the end of the day. Joe lived in a small unit on the third floor of a 4 story building. There was a coffee shop at the ground level and the building was minutes from the subway. Joe exited the subway, made his way to the entrance of the building and up the stairs to his unit. As Joe unlocked the door, his phone vibrated. It was a text message from his mom. “Sweat heart, don’t forget, Angie lands on Thursday morning. her flight number is AC1212 and it is terminal 1. She has your address and she will make her way to you. Please try to be up and make her something to eat.”. There was a follow up message right after this one. “DONT FUCK HER IMMEDIATELY ;)”. Which was followed by “Loves, Mom