"Yeah Riya, I'll be fine, you take care of yourself and please eat on time!" Khushi spoke on the phone as she prepared her morning tea. She shared her little flat with Riya, who was a model by profession and usually always travelled for various different assignments...currently her trip to Delhi had gotten extended due to some technical glitch in the shoot set-up.
Her absence didn't really bother Khushi much, since she got the whole house to herself; but she was concerned about Riya's wild nature and her penchant for getting into trouble. And being the responsible, elder sister, she always looked out for her younger sibling
She finished making her tea and cut herself a big slab of some chocolate salame*, she had made few days back. Sipping on her ginger tea, she took a huge bite of the chocolaty goodness and went to sit by the small gallery that overlooked the crowded market street beneath their building. The usual chaos of early morning office goers and school children making her smile at the lazy day she was enjoying, now that she was jobless.
After staring listlessly out of the window for a while, she picked up the newspaper and looked through the classifieds to check if there were any openings for a cook or chef somewhere.
She had made up her mind last night to create a great looking resume and send it to some good employment agency to kick-start her job search. She only wished that she had a more formal degree in cooking. A simple home science degree did not really help one land a job of her aspiration...but, she did have a natural talent for cooking and once anyone sampled her food...they never forgot it!
As she kept everything away and cleaned up, her thoughts kept running back to the fancy restaurant she had seen yesterday. Something kept pulling her towards the lure of working in a classy place like that. She had heard a lot about it and its owner, who was undoubtedly one of the most sought after Chef's in the country...didn't he cook for the US President on his last visit?
She made it a point to keep abreast of all the happenings in the culinary world and also try out new recipes and different cuisines. She usually did not get to cook much of the exotic stuff at home, since the recipes usually demanded expensive ingredients, so she tried to improvise a lot, substituting many original ingredients with cheaper options and to her luck, the dish always turned our pretty spectacular
Coming back to her earlier crumbling resolve of not going to the restaurant, Khushi felt her hands immediately go to one of her nicest outfits; A lovely sleeveless dark blue tunic, over thick black leggings.
Most of her good clothes came courtesy, Riya, who always brought back some of the designer left over' stuff for them. It did help that Khushi was the same size as Riya, only fuller in certain areas
Riya always joked that with Khushi's classic beauty and amazing bone structure, she would have been the perfect model, had it not been for her fuller curves and the fact that she was just shy of a 5'5...in her words You are not really a tall hanger' which always made Khushi chuckle
She never knew why Riya always made a fuss about her looks, when to herself she looked just okay'. There was nothing spectacular about her, apart from her bright hazel eyes, full of optimism and sparkle.
Her porcelain skin looked too pale to her sometimes while her fuller curves were downright embarrassing sometimes with a tiny waist and slim limbs; it was just too much there' for people to not notice...but all in all, she was a simple girl with big dreams!
***
"Aakash mere bhai! What' the verdict?" NK asked as he swished past the crowded kitchen towards the small lounge area for the staff. He saw their manager Aakash Iyer lounging by the comfy couch as he poured over the day's Bombay times "Hey NK...all looks good mate...they gave us wonderful reviews and have specially mentioned the blackened cod as the dish of the month" Aakash said as he folded the paper and got up with a smile
"Great man! That's all ASR's doing...though I had hoped that they would have said something about my signature dish, but guess ASR really does rule the roost when it comes to unique recipes" NK said a tad bit disappointed that the critics did not mention his dish
"Cheer up NK...lets just wait around for the next review in a couple of days, Shraddha Kabra will be reviewing us sometime this month...so make sure to work out a great dish that time...plus even though the cod was ASR's dish, you cooked it to a tee...that shows how good you are too" Aakash said making NK smile slightly
"Anyways, I gotta run...we are again at full capacity today, what with the corporate lunches being booked daily and I need a run down on supplies from Payal...I'll catch you later yeah" Aakash said as NK nodded and said a quick bye
They had too much work today, with the restaurant being booked for a private party tomorrow night...that too by none other than the famous Bollywood power couple Sunaina and Samir Khan.
ASR abhorred letting the restaurant out for such private do's, but Aakash always encouraged them for getting the right mix of people in their restaurant...though they didn't really need it..Perido spoke for its food and its owner...and both were top class
"Uh...Aakash? There's a girl here saying she's come about the job" one of the junior servers said as he poked his head into Aakash's cabin, who looked confused "Job? Which one?" he asked as the server shrugged his shoulders and waited for Aakash to speak "Oh right...the dish washer...it's a girl you say? Where's Payal? She was supposed to look into this" he said as the other guy shrugged his shoulders again
Aakash gave him an irritated look before asking send the girl in...if there was no one else, he might as well meet her and get this done with...their earlier dish washer left abruptly due to some family emergency and now a days without a dedicated person, the washing had become difficult
He looked up to find a beautiful girl walking in with a bright smile, making him wonder who she was"I'm sorry...you are?" Aakash asked as her smile brightened and she held out her hand "I'm Khushi, Khushi Gupta...I'm here about the job" she said confidently as Aakash's eyes widened
She was here for the job? Of a dish washer? "Are you sure you want this job? I mean...are you really cut out for something like this?" he asked as Khushi laughed and sat down in the chair opposite him, making him smack himself mentally for not offering her a seat
"I am well qualified for it sir, I've always dreamed of this...and working here, in this restaurant is literally like a dream come true...please sir, just give me one chance and I'll prove to you that I'm the best person for it" she said with such enthusiasm and positivity, it had Aakash smiling... "Fine, if you are ok with it, then I don't have a problem...do you have any work experience?" he asked her as she immediately nodded her head
"Yes, I worked at Tacos and more for two years and before that in a small restaurant owned by my own uncle in Kanpur..." she said as he nodded again at her "Very well, I don't have any problem and since you came through the agency we don't need any more details from you..." he said as Khushi looked on confused
"Agency? But I..." she started saying when Aakash's phone rang...he suddenly sprung up from his chair before saying a quick thank you to Khushi as he held the door open for her "I need to take this call, please come in tomorrow, sharp 9 with all your documents...and welcome to Perido" he said as Khushi nodded in a daze and walked out...did she just get a job? In Perido? For real?
She looked around the bustling restaurant as he eyes twinkled thinking about working here from tomorrow...she was just about to head out when she bumped into the same man from yesterday night, but this time with a red bandana on his head "Oh I'm so..." he started saying when Khushi saw him staring at her, she smiled and shook her head to assure him that it was ok before pulling open the door and walking out
NK saw the gorgeous girl walk out the main door as Krish, one of the servers patted him on his shoulders "Cute hai na? she's joining in tomorrow as the new dish washer...so you'll get to see a lot more of her" he teased as NK smiled a dimpled smile...suddenly his day looked much better as he walked back into the kitchen to prepare for another hectic day.
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