CHAPTER 4 Another Day, Another Dollar!

Another day, another dollar, "Annika whispered" as she woke up early in the morning. She's anxious to come to work as she'll be meeting one of the owners today, Chef Bill. He is an Irish native who came to Manila to work as a chef in a five-star hotel and eventually opened his own Mediterranean restaurant, which is popular among celebrities, politicians, and ex-pats. "I need to look my best today." Annika thought. As she prepares to come to work, she arrived early at La Gondola and checked to make sure all her reservations were confirmed. She helped the waiters assemble the tables and verify that the quantity of chairs matched the number of reservations. One guest per table. The flowers are then prepared and placed on top of each table. Before her lunch shift began, she went about her typical morning routine at La Gondola. Ensure the placement of the chairs and tables and all the flowers are aligned and look elegant.

Then a tall, white man in a white t-shirt and faded pants who appeared disheveled entered. He was wearing lovely brown leather shoes, and Annika wondered if he was wearing socks with them. He had a beard that appeared as though it had been untrimmed for a week. His eyes were incredibly blue. His eyes are so captivating you'll fall asleep simply staring at them, and he also has this wavy curly hair that kind of looks like Hugh Grant in the motion picture Bridget Jones's Diary. "Good morning!" he greeted Annika. She was so amazed at how attractive Chef Bill was. And he appears to be so young, perhaps in his 40's.

"How are the bookings doing today?" He enquired. He was guided by Annika to examine the Blue Reservation Book and presented to him the list of all VIPs who would be dining in the restaurant today. They have Israeli and South Korean envoys. Big business CEOs will convene for lunch to conduct business in their function room, and a lady named June will be coming for lunch as well. Chef Bill said, "I’m not here if this lady June looks for me, okay?" and he walked away towards his office. I'm curious about this enigmatic woman named June and why chef Bill is avoiding her. " Annika pondered this.

As the day began, the visitors entered one by one. Annika had a wonderful smile and welcomed everyone. She leads all the guests to their reserved tables, and Annika feels the vibrations as guests arrive at their designated tables, and she realizes that some people are watching her. Make sure she stands attractively like a beauty and walks elegantly with sexiness like a beauty queen. Whenever Annika is working, she always gives her all. She is reliable and goes above and beyond for her job.

After a while, a woman came in, and she introduced herself to Annika, "Hi, my name is June, and I have a reservation for lunch." She did not follow Annika when Annika tried to lead her to the table she reserved for June. It seems like June knows where she will sit. Then a waiter came quickly to June and gave her the menu, "Hi, Ms. June, welcome back. Can I get you something to drink?" The waiter asked her "The usual!" June's response Lady June is an extremely attractive woman with her long black hair that falls to her waist in a very straight line. She is a little voluptuous, yet she looks so hot in her curves. She was wearing a nice singlet black dress with black sandals to match her dress. She looks so simple and elegant. She barely wears makeup, but she looks like she had eyeliner, mascara, and some light lipstick on.

She seemed to be a frequent customer at the restaurant, as Annika had assumed. Then suddenly, the restaurant manager, Larry, comes to talk to Annika and advises her, "By the way, Annika, she is Ms. June, and she is the girlfriend of Chef Bill, so make sure she's well-tended whenever she comes here at La Gondola." Annika asked her manager whether she needed to inform the management that Chef Bill's girlfriend was present in the restaurant, and Larry replied, "It’s up to you. I suggest only if Lady June looks for Chef Bill." She recalls that when Lady June arrived, Chef Bill expressly stated that he was not in the restaurant. "He is not coming today, Ms. June." She covers up for Chef Bill. Lady June had her drink and finished her very light lunch and left. The restaurant manager bid her goodbye and Annika thanked and guided her to the stairs as she left the restaurant. Lady June doesn’t look happy that day. "Maybe she misses Chef Bill like I miss Bruce." Annika pondered, and she looked at Ms. June until she reached the door on her way out.

The entire day's guests have left, and Annika is free for the next three hours before her night shift dinner at La Gondola. She came out as usual and walked around the nearby malls, looking for things she could buy when she got her pay. She loves to check out plates and any kitchen stuff, she also looks for some nice clothing and shoes, and she also looks for some skin-care lotions, soap, and some make-up. She loves to look nice but sometimes she set aside all these things she wants as she also needs to help up financially at home. She still has her youngest sister Marie who is attending college that she needs to help with its college fees. When she had over an hour just doing window shopping and nonstop walking inside the mall she decided she would go back to the restaurant and take a nap to get ready for her dinner shift, so she walked back to La Gondola and bought nothing.