Chapter 4

Posted: September 23, 2009 - 11:29:39 pm

Chef Rupert sat at the table staring into his coffee cup. He looked up when Ellen snuck into the room while looking around nervously. He cleared his throat and watched the woman jump two feet in the air. He asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Is he here?” Ellen asked.

“No,” Chef Rupert answered. He didn’t need to ask about whom she was referring.

“Good,” Ellen said. She went over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. She returned to the table and took a seat. She stared into her cup.

Chef Rupert looked down at his cup of coffee. He sighed. He looked up when Molly snuck into the room. He cleared his throat and watched the woman jump two feet in the air. He asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Is he here?” Molly asked.

“No,” Chef Rupert said.

“Good,” Molly said. She went over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. She returned to the table and took a seat. She stared into her cup.

“I had a nightmare last night,” Molly said.

“I had one too,” Chef Rupert said.

“Same here,” Ellen said.

“I dreamt that Mark fed me,” Molly said.

Chef Rupert said, “You think that is bad? I dreamt that I proposed to Mary O’Toole.”

“That’s nothing. I dreamt that Mark set me up on a date with his Cousin Lucinda,” Ellen said.

“Lucinda?” Molly asked.

Ellen said, “I dreamt that I told Mark that I was gay when he started trying to set me up with one of his cousins. Next thing I know he’s calling his cousin Lucinda.”

Peter Chang walked into the room causing everyone to jump. He said, “Good morning.”

“No it isn’t,” Chef Rupert said.

“I agree,” Molly said.

“Ditto,” Ellen said.

Peter walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. He said, “By the way Chef, congratulations on your upcoming marriage.”

“What?” Chef Rupert asked feeling panicked.

“You proposed to Mary O’Toole last night,” Peter said giving the chef funny look.

“I was hoping that was a nightmare,” Chef Rupert said despondently. He stared into his coffee.

“Sorry. Molly, I’ve got to tell you that I’ve never seen anything like you and Mark last night,” Peter said. “I thought you didn’t like him.”

“I was hoping last night was a nightmare,” Molly said.

Mark stuck his head through the kitchen door and said, “Good morning everyone.”

“Good morning, Mark. Are you ready to go shopping for today’s assignment?” Peter replied.

“Yes. Just give me a minute to give the wife-to-be a good morning kiss,” Mark said.

“Don’t,” Molly said. He was entirely too cheerful this morning.

Mark went over to Molly and kissed her neck. Unable to stop herself, she leaned her head to the side and sighed. He said, “I can’t wait to wake up with you next to me in bed.”

Shaking her head as if to cast off a spell, she said, “I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Mark said with a smile. He ran a hand along her jaw line eliciting a purr from her.

“I don’t know anything anymore,” Molly said with a whimper.

“By the way, Cousin Lucinda will be here tonight,” Mark said looking over at Ellen.

“I’m not gay,” Ellen sai-d in protest.

“We’ll let Cousin Lucinda sort that out,” Mark said. He winked at her and added, “I guess you’re still in the closet.”

“I’m not in the closet,” Ellen said on the verge of hysteria. She looked around wildly and spotted Peter drinking his coffee. She said, “Peter and I are lovers.”

Peter sprayed coffee over half the room. Setting his coffee cup down and trying to wipe the coffee off his shirt, he asked, “We are?”

“You are?” Mark asked. He looked over at Peter for an answer. The poor guy looked like he had just noticed that an eighteen wheeler was about to run over him.

“Yes, we are,” Ellen said thinking that a little more proof was required. She jumped out of her chair and flew over to Peter. She wrapped her arms around the poor guy and kissed him.

“Oh my,” Peter said wide-eyed.

“I’m going to have his baby,” Ellen said wanting to make sure that Mark backed off.

“My wife is not going to be happy about this,” Peter said. He could just imagine his wife’s reaction to this conversation.

“We’re a threesome,” Ellen said grabbing onto Peter’s arm.

“Really?” Mark asked. He noticed that Peter was shaking his head in denial.

“Definitely,” Ellen said.

“Interesting,” Mark said. He looked over at Peter and asked, “Are you ready to go shopping? We’ve got a special cheese dinner to put together.”

“Yes,” Peter said wanting to get out of the room.

Molly watched the two men leave. She sighed and said, “We had better get shopping.”

Ellen said, “You’re right.”

Molly looked over at Chef Rupert and asked, “Are you okay?”

“No,” Chef Rupert answered. “I really thought it was a nightmare.”

“I know how you feel,” Molly said. “At least we’re going to show Mark what we can do in the kitchen with the dinner tonight.”

“Arrrrrrrrrrrrg! I’m going to kill him!”

“Interesting reaction,” Mark commented.

Peter looked at the meal in front of Molly and then said, “This is a most unexpected result.”

Mark was surprised by the fact that the meal he had prepared was identical in every way with the meal she had prepared. Mark said, “Great minds think alike.”

“I’m going to fail,” Ellen said. Tears were threatening to run.

“I hate you. I hate you. I hate you,” Molly shouted.

“No you don’t,” Mark said. He leaned over to Peter and said, “Look at that passion.”

“I’m going to filet you and serve you with Béarnaise Sauce,” Molly said.

“She really sounds like an O’Toole wife-to-be,” Mark said.

Chef Rupert looked at the two presentations feeling a headache coming on. This had never happened in the history of the school and he wasn’t sure how to proceed. He turned to the panel of judges and asked, “What do we do?”

“We judge,” Chef Smith answered.

“What about the originality score?” Chef Jones asked.

“I don’t know,” Chef Smith answered. He looked at the two menus and said, “Chinese food made with cheese. It has to be original.”

“I would have never come up with that,” Chef Jones said.

“I’ve never heard of Won Ton Soup Au Gratin and now there are two examples of it in front of me.”

“That is a problem,” Chef Jones said.

Chef Smith asked, “Was there any collaboration between the two teams?”

“No,” Ellen answered.

“None,” Peter said.

Chef Jones frowned and then asked, “Are there any personal relations between any of you?”

“Molly and I are going to get married,” Mark answered.

“No we’re not,” Molly said.

“She’s gorgeous and I’m handsome. It is a match dictated by heaven.”

“Be quiet,” Molly growled.

Mark said, “According to Ellen she’s in a threesome with Peter and his wife.”

“That’s right,” Ellen said. She had seen Mark greet a woman outside of the school. She assumed the woman was the infamous Cousin Lucinda.

“No we’re not,” Peter said.

Chef Jones looked at the two menus again. He couldn’t believe that they were identical. He read the names and exclaimed, “Mark O’Toole!”