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.
It’s six o'clock in the evening. Annika is prepared to welcome all of the night's visitors. She has a lot of reservations again. La Gondola is constantly crowded and filled, especially at night. Annika walked all the guests in, and when all were seated and everyone was enjoying their dinner, she went back to the reception area to see if any other guests would be arriving after dinnertime. "Nope! everyone is here already." So, she sits in her high chair and checks her reservation book for the next day. For some reason, Annika noticed that it became silent as the other guests were eating their dinner. It seemed like she was not hearing anything at all. She became quiet and thought about Bruce, just looking at a blank wall with the hanging picture towards the entrance stairs. Suddenly, a man appears, going upstairs in a pink Lacoste polo and a pair of jeans. He had all his gray eyes straightly looking at Annika's eyes in astonishment and hesitation. He was climbing up the steps slowly w
As night falls, Annika gets ready to head home, but the memory of that particular moment has stuck with her. There’s something about Bruce she adores so much, but does he feel the same way about her or is he merely friendly? He is new to the country and trying to be nice to everyone else. Maybe soon he will explore the city and maybe meet a person and forget about her. But tonight, it feels different He was so intimate with her in a way that she couldn’t explain. It was the first time a man made her feel this way. He made her feel so special. He made her miss him and yearn for him. She waited this long for this moment, but she is afraid for some reason. She asked herself, "Am I good enough for him? I was just a waitress, but now a restaurant receptionist. " She didn’t know what to say. Suddenly she felt down and scared. She is scared to fall in love because she has never fallen in love before. "Is this love?" she asked herself. She is happy, but at the same time she is scared and worr
Annika is a lady with a head full of ideas. She is witty, intelligent with an outgoing personality. She can easily talk to people, is definitely not shy and very clever. There’s one quality she always inherited from her old boss, that she is a people-skilled person. Despite the fact she never finished college owing to poverty, she manages to land a job she likes. She hopes to complete tourism and eventually work as a flight attendant one day, but sometimes life can be unfair.She arrived at work early the following day and went about her usual routine at work. She arrived early to discuss with Larry, her boss, and the owner, Chef Bill, how she wanted to share with the guests of the Irish Pub. She spoke to Larry first when he arrived. She asked if she could have a little of his time and shared her proposal of advertising Chef Bill’s other business. Larry thought that was a very good idea and thought that Chef Bill would love it. Larry gave Annika a tap on her shoulder and commended her
He was almost done in the kitchen at La Gondola preparing lunch. He then relayed to his assistant, making sure his assistant understood exactly what the guests were asking for their food. Chef Bill stepped out of the kitchen and walked towards Annika in the lobby and told her, "Annika, do you think you need any posters or handouts to advertise the pub?" "That would be very helpful, Chef!" she fondly responded with a smile. Annika feels happy that her boss actually acknowledges her ideas. She thought even though she doesn’t have the hands out yet, she’ll start now to introduce the pub to their guests and make it popular just like La Gondola. She is just not helping out Chef Bill’s boosting the business, but she is also helping out her new found friend Jessica.That night, when she was doing her dinner shift, some nice guests arrived, and you could see how much the diners loved and enjoyed the food. There are many people seated at the round bar, largely Americans and Europeans, who are
"La Gondola, this is Annika. How may I assist you?" asked Annika, taking the call prior to her lunch shift. Most of her visitors make reservations for lunch or dinner by calling La Gondola. "Annika, it's Bruce. What time did you finish your work tonight?" It was Bruce calling Annika. She was in disbelief at first. She could not believe she was hearing Bruce calling her. She had assumed it was someone else's call for reservation. She was unable to respond right away because she wanted to record Bruce's voice in her head so she could remember how it sounded. He seems to be flirting with Annika by speaking in a bedroom voice and teasing her ear."Hey Bruce, how are you? I’m not expecting this call from you." Annika responded. Bruce told Annika, "I want to surprise you; I know you are shy to call me, so I will call you first." Annika then informed him that she had finished her work at 10 o'clock that evening. Would you be available for a late supper tonight? Those are the sweetest words A
Bruce has had a busy day at the Motorola office. He had a lengthy meeting with his staff where they discussed a new product they would be releasing to consumers in the coming months. The discussion lasted longer than anticipated as they discussed the device's model, the newest features it will offer, and who the target customers are. The glass walls and view of the business center at Bruce's office are straight out of a movie, all glass walls, overlooking the business center. From above, you can see how crowded the roadways appear to be. Looking down from his office, the trees appeared to be perfectly aligned. His table is quite well-organized; it is topped with his laptop, some good pens and notepads, and an etched nameplate with his name and title. Product Manager Bruce Wyse is in charge of technical architecture and design based on specifications; functional specifications for the new device; customer engagements; assessments of existing software systems to identify synergies; solu
The following day, while everyone at La Gondola is occupied eating, she is attempting to keep herself busy at work. She's still dealing with the awkwardness of Jessica's brief call from last night. Then she considered the worst-case scenario: perhaps Jessica finds Bruce appealing and decides she likes him. Suddenly, she felt a little nervous about Jessica because she is already a high achiever who is independent, mature, and extremely emancipated. She is not even able to compare herself to what she has already accomplished in her life. She was contemplating her own desires for her life. Jessica made her feel really insecure, but what could she do when that was all she had to offer?Then she pondered that maybe she was only being negative; Bruce really cares about her and she doesn’t have to worry at all.She wanted to chat to her mother, Carmen, about her day at work when she got home late that night. Carmen is a single mother who raised Annika and her brothers all by herself. Annika w
In the early morning, Annika found herself outside the office of PR Shipping Management. She was stunned by how large and tall the building was. She thought this was a really big company and a serious business Mr. Rocha owned. In her hand was a copy of her resume and the business card Mr. Phillip Rocha gave her the last time he had dinner with his guest at La Gondola. She was hoping that Phillip would be in his office today so she could tell him that she was willing to accept the offer to work on the ship as a crew member. She approached the security outside the building and asked, "Good Morning, I am here to see Mr. Phillip Rocha." The security responded, "Do you have an appointment with him?" "Oh, I am just here to apply for a job on the ship." Annika told him. The security asked for her resume and she obliged, handing him her only copy. The security then instructed Annika to wait for someone to call you for an interview, and in her head, she screamed, "Nooooo! ", her eyes widening