The Plan: Part 1

by J. A. James

  The urban wedding field - her specialty - was a successful one for her. She had forged a Driver's License and lied about her age at fifteen, badly needing an income. Somehow, miraculously, she’d gotten the job at the Silver Spoon.

  She was good with people, finding herself being able to communicate clearly between her demanding, stressed-out boss and the kitchen staff. She found she enjoyed the fast-paced environment with guests who were, for the most part, always happy, entertained, and well-fed.

  The weddings were, for the most part, fabulously ornate as well. And in that first summer, after solidly working three weddings per week, she still never tired of the fanciful flower bouquets, towering chandeliers and table settings fit for a king and queen.

  She had never seen, or touched, crystal wine glasses before this. She learned how to fold napkins twenty-different styles; the many styles of chinaware and the oftentimes epicurean tastes of the bride.

  It was pure escapism for her - from the stark contrast of the poverty she had lived in, the hunger, and the misery of her parents' hurling insults and abusive words towards each other. She found herself eventually hiring, training new staff and cross-managing the catering and event planning facilities.

  She welcomed the grueling 16-hour shifts which meant she was away from home. She vowed to move out of the house as soon as she could, and she did around the time she would have graduated but chose to drop out of high school instead. She found a dingy ground level apartment miles away from her house. It didn't matter though. She was elated the first night she slept on the floor in her new place. She had nothing but her backpack and a bag of toiletries; but she was finally safe. Nobody would hurt her here. The apartment needed plenty of loving care. But no matter - she would do whatever it took.

  Halva pulled out her phone, checking the time, rubbing her eyes. Tomorrow, she would have to go back at 8:30 a.m. to ensure the rental company would pick everything up - from the glasses to tables and chairs. She and two others would tidy up the flowers and donate them to their regular charity of choice.

  No matter, she thought. It had been a thorough success. Guests had raved about the food to her, so by all counts the event had been worth all the time and heavy-handed effort. The bride had been a veritable bridezilla – but they all were to varying degrees when it came to their big day.

  She also had a voicemail – she checked it. It was Edith.

  "Halva," Edith’s familiar voice warmed her. "I'd like to discuss an idea with you. Come into my office when you get in.”

  What might it be? She was curious, as she hung up the phone.

  CHAPTER 2

  That morning, she cycled to work, working up a steady breath in her forty-five minute cycling route. She loved the exercise, no matter what the weather. After showering and swapping her cycling clothes for her work clothes, she walked into Edith’s office.

  Edith was a stoutly woman; a bottle brunette with a gentle, quiet demeanor that belied a killer business instinct. She wasted no time in announcing her news to Halva.

  "I've been offered by Narquest Weddings a buyout option,” she said as she gestured Halva to sit across from her. “As you know, I'm ready to retire.” Edith paused then.

  “But - Narquest!?" Halva interrupted, her eyes instantly alight with fury. She sat with a defeated slump in the leather chair. Her thoughts were spinning. No way would she work for Narquest. Their quotes were often more competitive than theirs, and they won their fair share of work but it was based on slashing their vendors' prices down to the lowest profit margins. They also had the dubious honour of a staff turnover rate which was three times higher than their own. What on earth would she do next?

  Edith nodded. "As much as I'm looking forward to retirement, to give away what I've built to them... is never what I envisioned."

  "So – here’s a proposition for you, Halva.” Edith smiled at her, lacing her hands together and resting her chin between them.

  A feeling of dread ran over Halva. Was she going to give her a severance package? What am I going to do about my place? I have enough savings to keep it for awhile...

  “I debated my options, but I kept going back to this one. I thought whether you'd like to take it over, Halva.” She leaned forward, looking at Halva interestedly. “I'd consult with you to a degree, to help you run the operations. You've been here and already know the ropes inside out. You're also very bright and I know you'd do a wonderful job."

  What? Halva double-checked herself to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, blinking several times. She? Running a business?

  “I can’t personally think of a better person to trust with my company than you, Halva,” Edith said.

  Halva innately understood. Edith had no children of her own, and her husband of fifty years had passed away more than a decade ago.

  Edith continued to talk. “I’m not ready to retire and play golf all day long… I wouldn’t want to give up the work altogether. You know how much I love it.”

  To that, Halva nodded. She knew how much Edith loved the business. But she also knew that age came with its own set of limitations on energy, time. The physicality of the job was incredibly demanding. Edith had taken to handling all the bookings years ago, hiring the teams necessary to run the other more physical parts of the job.

  “Do you remember when you started, Halva?” she asked.

  Halva laughed. “It seemed like yesterday.”

  “You were such a little spitfire. I was a bit concerned when I hired you, you know,” Edith said. “You showed up to my interview on time in a wrinkly white shirt and scudded-up shoes. But you listened and always showed up on time for all your shifts. You always worked the hardest.”

  Halva dropped her head, smiling shyly then at the memory. The years had flown by. She had gotten promoted quickly. Bert, the head of staff, had taken a quick liking to her after she thought fast on her feet and resolved a plating spat between two kitchen staff.

  "So?" Edith asked her. Then she let out a laugh.

  "I'm so sorry, Halva," she said, squeezing her shoulder briefly. "What a thing to throw upon you in the middle of wedding season, and after such a late night as well for you. I don't expect an answer from you right now, but think about it for tomorrow, alright?"

  Edith stood up. "Let's have lunch out tomorrow. One o'clock?"

  Halva nodded. Their next job wasn't until three days from now - plenty of time to prepare. "Sounds good."

  "Oh, and Halva...great job with the client today. She came up to me before she left and she raved about you."

  Halva smiled. "Really?" She had been the worst bridezilla she had worked with in a few months. But she already knew how to deal with these people - she never took it personally, how they acted.

  "So take the morning off, and I'll see you at lunch. I'll get Albert to take care of the morning's arrangements."

  Halva smiled at Edith with gratitude. She was exhausted; so she would gladly welcome the sleep.

  As she walked out of the office, her head was spinning. Her? Run this company? It was the last thing she had expected Edith to ask of her. She felt honored...but at the same time, shell-shocked. Yet she was deeply honoured by having been asked.

  Despite the questions whirling in her mind, as soon as she got home, she fell asleep, her weariness overtaking her body.

  CHAPTER 3

  The next day, Halva met Edith at The Wine Room. It was one of Edith's favorite lunchtime haunts. Not only did they boast of one of the largest curated wine selections in the city, their current chef was a talent beyond measure, having been a multiple winner of several international culinary awards.

  The Wine Room was, admittedly, a place to dine and certainly the place to be seen. Movie stars regularly made their way here after filming, making it a place where lines were often long and reservations had to be made months in advance.

  With Edith though, and her longstanding business contacts in the city, there was always a table for her when she called. According to her, there wer
e more whiners and pretentious eaters there than there were love scandals in the tabloids. But the food was immeasurably down-to-earth with what she termed 'real-sized portions for real people'. All wasted on the starlets, though, she told Halva with a roll of her eyes.

  The food – one of the reasons why it was so delicious – was that it was all made from scratch and there had never been a menu item, be it entree or starter, that Edith had cringed at in all the eight years she had been a loyal customer.

  Edith ordered a baked artichoke and red pepper frittata with handmade crust, along with a sliced beet watercress salad. Halva knew Edith was a stickler for 'just butter', and that was what she made sure she had, all the time. Halva ordered a cold butternut squash soup and a smoked salmon salad, with a glass of white wine.

  Halva felt Edith eyeing her as she gave the water her order.

  “Are you trying to lose weight again?”

  "I knew you were going to say that!" Halva laughed. "I'm saving room for my dessert. The kouign-amann."

  "Ah." Edith smiled then.

  Halva only ate it once in a blue moon. The kouign-amann was a piece of heaven sent from above. The buttery flakes of crusted pastry were jaw-droppingly good, and worth any wait.

  And not a moment later, Edith heard a voice behind her.

  "Edith Stoles... so lovely running into you here."

  Halva flinched slightly at the voice she would recognize from the ends of the earth. It was Erik, from Narquest catering.

  "Halva." Erik nodded towards her with a flamboyant dip of his head. "Two lovely ladies dining today."

  She managed to plaster a smile onto her face, the fakest one reserved for the people she duly hated. It wasn't hard to do for Erik. Speak of running into the devil, she thought.

  "Yes, Erik." Edith shifted so she could see him. "Fancy running into you here, we'll talk in a few days."

  "Of course, Edith, darling," he cooed. "I just wanted to let you know, though..." he glanced at Halva.

  Edith continued to stare at him, unblinkingly. "She knows. So speak."

  "Ah." Erik straightened up slightly. "The deal's still on the table, but... only until the end of the week."

  "Changed your mind, have you?" Edith said sweetly. "Whatever's gotten you to put the pressure on me?"

  As soon as the words were out of Edith's mouth, Halva had the strongest inclination that she knew. The newest hotel in town had just opened, and Narquest was readying their bid to become a regular vendor for the multitude of convention halls it offered for weddings and banquets. It was likely that Erik simply presumed Edith would cave in to his offer, and then their chances of Narquest winning on both fronts was going to be coup d'etat he was hoping for.

  Halva stiffened at the thought. No way, she thought. She knew most of Narquest's staff were part-timers, many of whom she suspected worked without benefits of any kind, much less equitable pay. His high staff turnover was simply a sign of that.

  She thought then of Edith's own staff. Edith had worked hard to maintain her full-time staff, and while their margins may be smaller, their staff were happier. Edith had given the senior staff, including herself, shares into the company, generous Christmas bonuses every year, and three weeks paid time off.

  Erik said nothing for a moment, simply tipping his head to Edith. "Business is business, my dear. That is all."

  He nodded to Halva as well. "Bon appetit."

  Halva said nothing as he flounced off.

  "You can't, Edith," she said as soon as he was out of earshot. To hell with Erik. Edith would sell it to him over her dead body, Halva thought grimly. The thought of working for someone like him made her skin crawl.

  She shuddered to think of all the things that would disappear if Edith were to cede control to Narquest.

  Edith nodded, lost in the moment of her own thoughts.

  Was she entertaining briefly the notion of everything she built, suddenly in the hands of a vulgar man who she quite detested?

  "I'll do it, Edith," Halva said then, her decision suddenly made. She gulped, not knowing where the determination had come from. "I need your help. But I think…I think it's the best thing for you and I." Her voice shook at those last words.

  Suddenly, the waiter stopped and placed their food down in front of them, the aroma of the soup hitting Halva's nostrils.

  "Wonderful. This gives me great happiness,” Edith’s countenance seemed to brighten as she smiled from ear to ear. “We have plenty to talk about. But first, we eat."

  When they finished and headed back into the Silver Spoon, Halva immediately wrinkled her nose at the onslaught of smells coming from the kitchen. She stuck her head in, seeing Carl at the stainless steel countertop.

  "Carl? What's that smell?" she asked him over the sound of the induction fans.

  He was one of the longest-held staff, who had been there even longer than herself. Beyond reliable, Edith paid him well beyond a chef's average salary here at the company.

  He looked up, his eyes crinkling up. "Oh? That is the smell of my newest creation!" he exclaimed excitedly, motioning her to come in.

  She came over to the pot he was gesturing into. "This is my newest soup creation," he explained proudly.

  She looked inside - a potently thick creamy mixture of something with... cilantro. She hated cilantro.

  "I should have known that smell from anywhere," she said, smiling wanly. He caught the faint look on her face, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

  "I'll do another batch without then," he said to her. "Then you taste! And tell me what you think, ok?"

  She smiled at him. "Yes!" She liked him. He was so kindly accommodating to her.

  "Thanks, Carl," she said as she stepped away from the simmering pot. They both knew that if she had to sell it to the client, she'd have to love it herself.

  "Is something wrong, Halva?" he asked her, and she caught him looking at her with knitted brows. Ah. She realized he was worried it might be the soup.

  "Oh - no Carl! Thank you. I can't wait to taste the other version, whenever it's ready," she smiled at him. "I just have my mind on some other matters, that's all."

  She loved Carl. He was like the father she never had. He had two children of his own, who he always spoke lovingly about.

  And behind her streamed a few more voices. More of Carl's kitchen assistants.

  Yonus, Jack and Belinda were starting the afternoon shift now under Carl's guidance.

  "Hey guys," she greeted them. They responded in kind, whipping on their white jackets. She smiled. They knew the drill; they had about two hours to prep for their first delivery, an early lunch. Thereafter, they had two more late lunches to deliver and that was it for the day. It would be easy.

  Edith had deliberately staggered and turned away another big job to give them less stress right after a big wedding such as the one they had done, and everyone was in good spirits.

  At this point, staff morale was more important to Edith than taking another job for the profit. She thought again about how she would want to continue running the company. Like this. She shuddered to think about how Narquest would do it... he would have likely taken one large job after another, or even three weddings on the same day, stretching his thinned-out staff to capacity. It was little wonder that the industry had such high turnover. It could be unforgiving and relentless.

  They had done it in the past, and while they had pulled it off, it wasn't something that anybody, least of all Edith, would want to do again in a long time.

  She remembered her first week on the job, catapulted into a weeklong July parade of wedding banquets that ran into the long hours of the night. She hadn't had the right shoes on, and on the Sunday night after four wedding banquets and three bridal luncheons, her feet had blistered up completely.

  She arrived at work the next morning to see Edith. "I want to work," she said plaintively. "But I can't."

  Edith looked at her, her face passive, used to the excuses. "Tell me why not."

  H
alva showed Edith her feet, and her face softened immediately. She forwarded her pay for last week and instructed Carl to take her to get a new pair of shoes.

  Ever since then, Edith literally had to force her to take time off. It wasn't something that came easily to Halva...especially not during the fast-paced season, where pooled tips more than made up for her time spent on the job.

  Halva realized at an early age that her income-earning abilities were the only way out of poverty and misery. And she wasn't ready to give up on a position that paid her far better than minimum wage.

  Back in the office, they had been poring over notes of the past few years' of business. Edith continued talking. "And you know quite well our profit margins when it comes down to each quote we put out."

  Halva nodded. She’d done most of the quotes over the last two and a half years.

  "Do you think we need to hire someone new to manage the front-side of things?" Halva asked Edith.

  Edith looked thoughtful at the suggestion. "Maybe. Perhaps in the new year, we can look into this. The first thing is to make sure we transition you to running the business, and once you get comfortable with it, you can make hiring decisions."

  That sounded like a good plan. Once foot in front of the other...something Halva could definitely handle.

  Mentally, she was running over the staffing scenario. They could easily hire temporary staff from the local agencies when they needed it over the course of the next busy winter season, but that was a last resort for them. Both she and Edith never found that they were groomed enough to their liking. It was always better to hire and keep their staff on board.

  "Sounds good to me," Halva said, and then she heard her phone buzz. Stifling a yawn, she reached into her purse and found it while it was still vibrating.

  She saw the text and almost dropped the phone. Her fingers felt like they were burning. She brought her hands to her face, and for a long moment, she froze.