Happier Than Ever

Caleb

“Chef,” Maria calls as she walks into the kitchen.

I hesitate to look up because I’m afraid she’s returning a dish. Each returned meal is wasted time and money that I was hired to resolve. But when I focus my eyes on her, her hands are empty. “Yes?”

“You have company again.” The way those words come out of her mouth makes the hairs on my arms stand up.

If Henry thinks he’s going to walk back in here and I’ll just roll over, he’s mistaken. I don’t bother asking who is here before I storm out of the kitchen and into the lobby. If I had, I wouldn’t be coming face to face with my grandparents and cousins with the intensity of a raging bull. The tension rolls off of me as soon as I see my grandmother’s smiling face.

“Hey, what are you guys doing here?” My greeting is a stark contrast to how I welcomed my parents.

“We wanted to surprise you. It had been a while since we saw our grandkids, so we made a day trip,” Grandma replies.

I try not to let the worry seep into my voice at the thought of them driving so far in unpredictable weather, but as far as I know, the roads are clear today. Not to mention, my grandfather is a retired firefighter and is perfectly capable of handling anything, even as he approaches his eighties. Instead, I focus on their presence, greeting them all with a hug. My grandmother, Alanna, holds me the tightest, refusing to let go.

When she finally does, I ask, “Do you guys have a reservation?” Again, a contrast to my parents’ arrival, because I’ll roll out the red carpet for my other family members.

“We do. Hollis booked one for us a few weeks ago. It’s tough to get a reservation here.” Grandma beams at me, and the note of pride in her voice is yet another major difference.

“Good marketing, I guess. I can’t take any credit for that.”

“Since when did you get so modest? I saw that critic’s review.” Grandma chokes up a little, and her eyes start to water. “We’re so proud of you, Caleb. I know this journey hasn’t been easy for you, but we’re so, so proud.”

I pull my grandmother in for another hug with one arm and pat my grandfather on the shoulder with the other. “None of this would have been possible without you both. None of it. I owe everything to you guys.” And I’m not just saying that. Our grandparents acted more like parental figures than our parents ever did. Not to mention, they cashed in my grandmother’s life insurance policy to send me to France. Something I’ll never take for granted, even though I paid it back years ago. “Whatever you want tonight is on me. Maria will take you to your table and take good care of you.”

With a few parting words, they get ushered off to their table by the window and I go back into the kitchen. Things seem to be moving along well in my absence, which feels like a major win. It’s also helpful that Ivan has the day off.

I slide back into directing orders and inspecting everything as it goes out. I’d like to say I put extra care into every plate I serve, but when the order belonging to my grandparents and cousins comes in, I go the extra mile to ensure they’re perfect. Even more than I did when the food critic was here. For her, I said business as usual. For my grandparents, nothing could ever be enough to show them the depth of my appreciation.

When the servers come to take out their food, I decide to deliver them personally. Maria helps with two plates and I grab the others, because I am not a skilled server and lack the talent to balance four dishes.

The smiles on everyone’s faces cause one on mine as I walk toward their table. I set down Hollis’ and Oscar’s meals while Maria delivers my grandparents’.

Oscar swats my stomach. “You’ve been slacking on your workouts. Getting round here, old man.”

I rustle his hair, like I’ve done since he was a kid, and retort, “Says the guy about to eat lamb shanks in cream sauce.”

He leans back and pats his stomach. “I can afford it. I didn’t skip my workout today.”

“I’ll be there on Tuesday. These past few weeks have been insane. Trust me, I put what you’ve taught me to use.”

Oscar’s playful expression disappears, and his wide eyes flash a hundred questions.

I grip his shoulder and answer them with, “Tuesday.” Then I listen to my grandparents and Hollis gush over their food for a few seconds before I realize my staff is stuck doing their own work and mine in my absence, so I bend down to kiss my grandmother’s head and tell them to enjoy.

Before I make it two steps away, Grandma calls my name.

I spin around to face her, hoping there’s nothing wrong with her food. “Yeah?”

“Is Hannah working today?”

“Yeah, she is.” I can’t make eye contact with my grandmother because I know what she’s thinking.

“If she has a minute, could she come out to say hi? We’d love to see her.”

“Yeah, we would,” Oscar jokes. At least, he better be joking. Based on his chuckle when I glare at him, I’d say he was just trying to get the exact reaction I gave him.

“Uh, I’ll see if she’s got a second to come say hi.” I turn to walk back to the kitchen, but pause once again. “Don’t leave without letting me say goodbye, okay?” Who knows when I’ll get to see three out of four of them again.

Grandma smiles and nods, then picks up her fork to dig into her dinner that’s now been sitting here for several minutes. Hopefully, she enjoys it anyway.

As I walk back into the kitchen, I feel a little nervous about asking Hannah to go say hi. I don’t want to say no to my grandparents. They’re the only people who know the full reason why I left for France, and I don’t want them getting their hopes up that this is some reunion for us. Not even Sophie knows the full truth, because I didn’t want her feeling like she had to choose between me and our parents. Hannah definitely doesn’t know the full truth, and I hope she never does.

Instead of taking more time to speak to Hannah when I return to the kitchen, I slide back into my job and pick up the slack I left in my absence. Walking away during the dinner rush is irresponsible, but I’ve been so consumed by this job for the past couple of months, I needed that feeling of home for a few minutes. It helps to restore my focus and allows me to keep a firm handle on my staff.

After about fifteen minutes, we have a lull in orders, so I ask Hannah if I can speak with her. Things between us are awkward, which is evident in her expression. One that appears nervous.

“My grandparents are here… Oscar and Hollis are with them, too. They asked if you’d come out to say hi.”

Her dark brows raise several centimetres up her forehead. “Really? Why? I mean, I don’t mind going to say hi, but I just don’t understand why they’d care. I’m… me.”

She has no idea how much my time with her shaped the entire course of my life. Not just in young love and finding the courage to pursue my dream. I never would have ended up in France without her, either.

“My grandparents loved you, too.” I repeat the same words she said to me when we went to pick up her dad.

“Oh.” She opens her mouth to speak three times, closing it without a word. Finally, she spits out, “Okay, I’ll go say hi.” Then, after untying her apron, she disappears into the dining room.