It was the year 1997, Happy Hearts Day to most and Valentine’s Day to all lovers, when the song "As Long as you Love Me" by the well-known boy band of the 90's came out. The most played songs at the time were playing on the radio. Annika’s favorite song is one she loves to sing and dance to while putting on her cosmetics to get ready for work. She wears her pink lipstick as she feels cute and flirtatious wearing it. Annika makes sure she has her mascara on because it enhances and accentuates her beautiful eyes. Her long wavy hair gives off a sensual vibe, emphasizing her prominent shoulders. Should I put on this olive-green dress today? Or perhaps I mix my black jeans with an orange blouse along with a pair of boots? " As she spoke to herself. She is excited to get ready for work as it is Friday, and Bruce, an American customer with whom she had a big crush, will come to dine at the Mediterranean Restaurant where she works as a receptionist. Bruce, a Motorola the big boss will be comi
Though Annika enjoyed her work so much, it has not been an easy process to deal with the owner of the company. The business owner has not always been straightforward. Pay is occasionally late and wages are too low. The workday is longer than the typical eight hours. Months after month, Annika has had her decision to leave the company and look for another job as a receptionist in a five-star restaurant or to work in a five-star hotel. Annika thinks she needs a more decent job than working in a bar or club. It was very hard for her to just leave Industria as she knew Bruce would come one night and she was not there anymore. She did not tell any of her club colleagues where she will be transferred for her new job. She doesn’t even know if she can find work. All she knew is that she wanted to apply for a job as a restaurant receptionist in a hotel or a five-star restaurant. And what’s hurting her is how much she will miss Bruce as her customer, as her friend. Annika always asked herself,
Arriving at the La Gondola, it appears that everyone is busy getting the restaurant ready for the day. Waiters are setting up the tables, and the workers in the galleys are all busy preparing all the ingredients that will be used to prepare food for any upcoming food orders for the day. It seems like no one noticed her entrance at all. Then the owner's secretary, Pipa, came down from the office, welcoming Annika and accommodating her. "Hey Annika, come and follow me. I’ll show you around and introduce you to everyone." Annika just followed Pipa is a tall woman with light brown skin, a very slender build, and very short, curly hair. She showed her the locker room, where Annika could leave her belongings and keep them, as well as the employee's comfort room, the employee's pantry room to eat lunch or dinner, and the nap room, where employees could take a nap in the afternoon because they work a split lunch and dinner shift. Afterward, Pipa showed Annika where the bar is for before and a
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 appear
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