Chasing Stars

Doing Stupid Things

Laura got out of the taxi in a hurry. After two hours stuck in traffic on the highway, he climbed the stairs entering the Rafael Building. A year ago Laura proposed to open catering services to increase restaurant sales. After several successful trials, Antonio decided to continue his catering services for birthday parties, weddings and office parties.

Now after a year of catering services, Laura managed to get a large client.

Rafael Group is engaged in property, hotels, supermarkets, and automotive. Its chief director, Charles Rafael, who once dined at Antonio's restaurant, was very fond of Laura's Italian cooking. Last week he called to hire the catering service of Antonio's restaurant for his office's employee party.

Although she had never met Charles Rafael in person, Laura was able to conclude that he was a friendly man after several telephone conversations. Even after learning of Laura's young age, Charles Rafael insists on having Laura call him 'om'. Laura thought it was a good sign. If the catering services for Rafael Group succeed, Laura believes the catering business can grow.

A year ago Laura asked my mom to quit her job. After being appointed head chef at Antonio's restaurant, Laura doesn't want her to work hard anymore. Laura's salary is enough to finance her daily needs. Laura told her that it was time for her to take care of her.

After being persuaded repeatedly, my mother finally agreed. Now mama lives at home, and to fill the time she started sewing clothes, a hobby she never had time to do.

Laura brought the proposal paper for the employee party food menu later while half running. In front of the lobby, he was given a guest card and proceeded towards the elevator that would take him upstairs. It was an hour late from his promise. Not a good sign for a good partnership. When she saw the elevator door open, Laura immediately ran over. A man walks into the elevator ahead of Laura. When Laura came in, the elevator rang. Signs of excess people. Laura was exhausted. He saw the people behind him. All the women, except the man who came in with her.

"I'm sorry, '." said Laura, pleading. "Can I give up and get out of this elevator? I'm too late for an important appointment."

The man looked at Laura without pity. "I went in first. Wasn't the last one in who should have relented?"

Laura did not expect the man to be able to comment like that. He was the only man in the elevator. "I'm really late. Can't you just give up?"

Behind Laura, people started to get restless.

With ease the man said. "It's not my fault you're late, is it?"

Finally with a heavy heart from being uneasy with the people behind her, Laura stepped out of the elevator. Before the elevator doors closed, the man said again. "You women don't want to be treated special, do you? Women should be equal to men. Hm....what is the term...emancipation, right?"

The elevator door closed. Laura was upset. That guy is really annoying. Laura waited for the next elevator. Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the workspace of Charles Rafael. Secretary Charles Rafael tells him to come in after Laura introduces herself. Laura took a deep breath and prepared to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I'm late." Laura looked into Charles Rafael's eyes in earnest. "There was an accident on the highway. Until I came here late. I'm sorry."

Charles Rafael looked at Laura. Laura's face reminded her of someone in the past.

Laura went wrong. Charles Rafael did not comment for a while. "Ehm... Om... I'm Laura, the head chef of Antonio's restaurant. Sorry I'm late."

Charles Rafael then awoke from his daydream. "Oh yes, Laura. I really like your cooking."

"Thank you, o'm." Laura smile. "Sorry, I'm late."

"It's okay." Charles Rafael smiled kindly. "Please sit down."

Laura sits on the sofa of Charles Rafael's study. The workspace is very large. Black and white decor dominates the walls of the room. Laura prepared a menu proposal paper that she had made for a week.

"I've created four menu packages for your employee's party." Laura held out her proposal paper to Charles. "You can choose one of these packages. Each package consists of appetizers, core meals, desserts, and drinks. I hear the show will be held at your hotel?"

Charles nodded. "Yes. You can coordinate with the hotel manager. The show's next week."

Laura recorded the manager's name, execution time, and the phone number of Hotel Rafael in her book. Suddenly the door to Charles's room opened. A man comes in.

"Pa" said the man. "I need an autograph for this project."

The man thrust the blue map at Charles. Laura looked at the man's face and was shocked. That man was the man in the elevator. The regret Laura felt came back. Because the man in front of her did not want to budge, Laura had to wait for fifteen minutes.

Charles signs the contents of the map and introduces the man to Laura. "Laura, meet me, this is my son. Luka...." Then he told Luki, "Luki.ini Laura, the chef of restaurant head Antonio who will take care of our employee's party next week."

Luki smiled slightly looking at the annoyance in Laura's eyes.

"Laura, nice to meet you."

Laura has no choice but to stand up and shake Luki's hand*the shitty guy*Rafaael with annoyance. "It's nice to meet you too."

"The Laura's menu proposal is very interesting." Charles Rafael gave the proposal to his son. "You haven't eaten at Antonio's restaurant, have you? Papa guarantees the food is really good."

Luki Rafael looks at Laura who looks upset by the events in the elevator but tries to cover it with a smile. "Pa, how about I just take care of this. In the next few days you will be busy with a contract of cooperation with a Japanese company."

("What?") Laura shouted in her heart. ("I have to work with such a shitty guy

Luki? Please answer no, om. I don't want to work with your son.") "Totally so." Charles nodded. "You don't mind taking care of this, Luki?"

"Not at all." Luki smiled widely and looked at Laura who died a flea.

"You don't mind me working with you, do you?" Luki said to Laura again.

Laura tried to contain her frustration and was forced to smile. "Of course not. I'd love to work with you."

Luki approached Laura and said slowly. "Oh, we're gonna have fun." Luki hasn't played around with someone in a long time. He was sure his game with Laura would definitely be fun. Since returning from abroad six months ago, Luki's days have been filled with business meetings. Actually Luki prefers to have fun abroad with her only formula car. But after a minor accident that left her leg broken, her papa told her to go home. When Luki insists on not going home, Papa has a heart attack and must be hospitalized. Eventually Luki relented and returned to Indonesia. Luki and her papa relationship never get along, but Luki does not want her papa to be sick because of her. So for six months he tried to be a good son for papa so that papa's disease does not recur.

Luki looked at the papa who was looking at Laura's face attentively. Luki frowned.

Feeling glanced at by Charles, Laura said, "Is there something on my face?"

Charles smiled. "No. It's just that your face reminds me of someone."

Laura smile. "Oh, so." Laura's gaze turned to Luki. "I'll call you again, Luki. I hope in two days you can determine which menu you choose. Sorry, I still have work at the restaurant. Can I excuse you?"

As soon as the door of Charles's room closed, Luki looked at his papa face sharply. "That girl reminds me of who? That woman?"

Charles took a breath of annoyance. "Woman is your mother."

Now it was Luki's turn to grunt annoyed. "My mother is dead. Papa married the woman only a year after she died. Does papa not remember?"

"Papa remembers." Charles looked at his son sharply. "It's a good thing that she never showed up in front of me again." Luki looked at papa with deep sadness.

"Like it or not, she's still papa's wife." Charles looked at his son in annoyance.

"I hope papa never meets the woman again," Luki said slowly but surely.

"Luki...." Charles did not know what to say to express his anger. "I don't want to come back here," Luki opened her papa's office door, "but papa forced me to come. I've fulfilled papa's request. What else would papa want? I don't want to fight anymore about the past."

Charles's office door was closed. Charles sat back in his chair. He pulled out his desk drawer, and looked at a picture of a woman smiling at him.

 

*******************************************

Laura was already halfway from the restaurant to Rafael's building when her HP rang. On the HP screen it says Luki Rafael.

"What?" Laura asked in annoyance. Already since five in the morning, when Laura was still sleeping soundly, Luki bothered her by asking to cook Menu A to be taken to the Rafael building before office hours began. Luki said she only had free time at that time. After a rush of bathing and dressing modestly, Laura went to the restaurant to prepare food on the A menu. When he finished, he put the food in the food box and called a taxi.

Fifteen minutes later, Luki called.

"I forgot to say...," said Luki guiltlessly." I think I fit the B menu better.

Can you bring me a menu B? Menu A is not."

Laura's reaction was to want to bully Luki right then and there, but she knew she couldn't. The customer is king. "I'm going back to the restaurant to cook a new menu."

"Thanks" said Luki. "Sorry to trouble you."

Laura's mouth pouted, but the word that came out was, "it's okay. I'll probably be late for your office."

"If it can be no more than eight in the morning" Luki reminded.

Laura hung up her phone in annoyance and said to her taxi driver, "Sir, go back to the restaurant."

 

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At 07:58, Laura arrived in front of Luki's office.

"I don't think you'll ever get around to it" Luki said as Laura entered her office.

Laura put the menu package B in front of Luki's desk. "The only explanation is. hmmm. I've never let my customers down."

Luki smiled at Laura's confidence, but soon she would destroy it. "Can you open the food box?"

Laura opened her food box and thrust a fork in front of Luki, half hoping that the fork could puncture the man's heart. But Laura replaced it with a sweet smile. ("Remember, Laura,") he said inwardly, ("he is the customer").

Luki tries to taste Laura's spaghetti, but then puts down the fork. "Ehm. I think I should move to menu A. So you'd better prepare another menu A for tomorrow morning. The same time. Before eight."

Laura looked at Luki calmly. Luki was confused by Laura's gaze on her. "You can get out of my room right now. See you tomorrow."

Laura stood up and took one by one the food boxes from the bag she was carrying and placed them in front of Luki. There are nine food boxes in total. Laura opened all the boxes and pointed to the three boxes on the left. "Menu A." Then point to the next three boxes. "Menu C." Lastly he pointed to the three rightmost squares. "Menu D's. You can try all the menus today too."

Luki. She did not expect Laura to be able to prepare all the menus in such a short period of time.

Laura smiled triumphantly at Luki's silent look. "You've tasted menu B. Have a taste of the other three menus..... I told you, wasn't I a great chef?" Laura takes a new fork from her bag and thrusts it at Luki. "I don't have much time to prepare groceries for the three hundred employees who are only two days away. If you don't mind, I want you to decide on the menu today."

Luki took a new fork from Laura's hand. This time he admitted defeat to the girl in front of him. After tasting all the menus, Luki decided to choose menu A.

Laura pulled out a piece of paper. "I want you to sign this paper."

"What's this?" Luki asked while taking the paper from her desk.

"A cooperation agreement between your company and my restaurant. It says you have chosen menu A and will not change your choice again. If you change it the day before the party, your company's gonna take care of all the compensation."

Luki read the agreement. He had underestimated Laura's ability. This time he lost to a girl. Luki took her balpoin from the table and signed the agreement.

Laura gives one copy to Luki and takes the other for herself. "Thank you."

Laura tidied the food box on Luki's desk and tidied it back into her bag. Before Laura left, Luki said, "i underestimated you too much, didn't I?"

"I don't like your game, Luki," Laura said seriously. "I like my job. I'm not going to play around with my work. I'll see you in two days."

Laura left Luki who was staring at her office door long after that.