Hire A Chef!

DEXTER'S POINT OF VIEW

 "Good day, Mother", I greet once Melanie walks out of my office.

 "Liam", she smiles and I groan internally.

 She can never get over that nickname. It has become annoying to me since over two decades ago and I have always told her but she never stops.

 "Why are you so mean to Melanie?", she complains as she sits on one of the cushions in my office and I sigh.

 "I'm not mean to her", I grunt.

 I don't understand why she always thinks I'm being mean to Melanie when I haven't even treated her like I would have liked to. I'm always trying to act neutral to her because annoying as she may be, I've gotten used to having her around and I wouldn't want her resigning.

 "That's exactly the problem with you, you never know that you're being annoying", Mother nags.

 "Mother, why are you here?"

 "I came to see you. The last time I came, you claimed you had already drawn up your schedule so couldn't go out with me"

 That was one annoying day. She had began complaining like a child whose father refused to play with her and I was in the middle of some work else I would have gone with her to avoid the drama.

 How did I finally escape from that sticky situation?

 Oh yeah right, I told Melanie to take her out. I know she likes Melanie so had assumed Melanie would somehow get her to calm down. And it worked.

 Besides the fact that I was busy, I don't like going out with Mother. I don't even like spending time with her, she gets on my nerves but somehow I still love her. That's why I visit her every once in a while and go out with her every now and then. I'm just not in the mood sometimes.

 "So I suppose you haven't made your schedule since it has only about an hour since you arrived"

 "Actually Mother, I've already done that", I slowly admit.

 "Or maybe you just don't want to go out with me", she complains and I stand up then walk to her. "You just have no single regard for me at all, sometimes I wonder if you even love me"

 "Don't say that, Mother. You know I love you", I mumble as I sit beside her and take her hands. "I'm just busy"

 "That's what you always say", she hmphs.

 "How about you help me with something, Mother?", I request.

 Maybe if I give her something to do, she won't be so clingy.

 "Aren't you so self-sufficient that you have no respect for your mother anymore? Am I capable of helping you with anything?", she taunts and I smile. "Oh wait, do you need me to find you a girl?", she asks suddenly excited and I frown.

 "Mother, that's actually not it", I quickly correct before she would start getting ideas.

 I get that it is already time I settle down but the last thing I need is for her to arrange someone for me. She would probably choose some silly girl whose parents happen to have some connections.

 I haven't been interested in any girl for quite a while so I know that I will end up marrying someone because of her family's connections but marriage is a lifetime commitment. The girl has to be bearable.

 This is the kind of thing I would have entrusted to Grandpa's care. Hiring Melanie was the only one out of the many decisions he had made on my behalf that didn't sit quite well with me but she ended up being quite efficient so the decision was kinda good.

 "Just before I was notified of your call, I got a call from Mrs Corazon telling me that she would have to resign"

 "What?", Mother yells.

 It was so crazy when Mrs Corazon had said it over the phone. She has been working as my housekeeper since I moved out of my grandfather's home at sixteen. Everything had been fine when I left the house this morning and she was suddenly saying such a thing.

 "She had stayed overnight yesterday and got a call this morning that her husband had slumped yesterday night and the doctors said he has a tumor so would need surgery as soon as possible"

 "Oh my goodness!"

 Nothing like my mother to be dramatic.

 "So she needs to go be with him and wanted to resign. I told her not to worry and leave then return whenever her husband was completely recovered", I inform her.

 "That's the right thing to do. Was that why you sent Melanie home?"

 "Yes, I sensed she would need some aid. She sounded very distraught over the phone"

 "I can't imagine how bad she would feel. Whenever I hear this kind of news, I'm always so relieved that your grandfather didn't bother me with such and just died in his sleep", she murmurs.

 I had never thought of that. She's right though, it would have been disturbing if grandfather had fallen sick before dying.

 "So why do you need my help? Do you want me to come live with you?"

 "No!", I immediately decline. "I didn't mean for it to sound that way but no, I don't need you to come live with me. I need you to find me a new housekeeper and chef"

 "That's easy"

 "I mean just one person, not two", I add.

 "That will be kind of difficult", she grunts but shrugs.

 "I knew I could count on you"

 "But you're very picky with your food, finding someone you'll approve will be a bigger challenge than finding someone"

 "I just don't like to eat nonsense", I shrug.

 "Why don't you just hire Melanie?", she suggests and my brain does a flip in shock.

 "What?"

 "She already knows how picky you are with your food because you make her eat lunch with you and she eats dinner at your house most of the time"

 "And so?", I ask with furrowed eyebrows.

 "She is a good cook"

 "How do you know that?", I frown.

 "She has cooked for me several times"

 "When? How? Mother, she's my personal assistant. You can't make her do so many things for you in addition to the work she already has just because she's being polite"

 "Oooooooh you're standing up for her", Mother smiles and claps excitedly.

 I don't trust that move. I mean she has once suggested I date Melanie but she has already realized that I dislike Melanie's personality too much to consider that.

 "Mother, I don't like that reaction"

 "It's not a secret that she's the only girl with no useful family background that I can allow you to consider as your future wife", she replies. "You said you don't like her though", she grumbles.

 "It's good you remember that", I hmph. "I'm not hiring Miss Wright though"

 "But I really think it would have been a good idea. You can hire Melanie as your chef and then I will just find you a housekeeper, that'll be easy for everyone. You already make her come to your house very early and leave very late. She also goes home to bring your lunch so I'm sure she wouldn't mind. You'll have to pay her for the extra work though"

 "Mother, I...", I begin to argue but she cuts me off.

 "I know you find it uncomfortable eating food cooked by someone you don't know, you don't even like going to restaurants"