“Oh.” She looks down then looks back up to me, smiling, a hint of laughter in her voice. “Of course. I forgot to wash the set I have at home. I keep a spare in my locker at work.”
“Good.” I nod once then tilt my head back toward the seafood. “Come on, I’ll show you how we place an order and the type of fish we usually get.”
I lead Natalie through the market to the back. The last tables are near the water’s edge. The scent of salt and sea water fills the air and I inhale a deep breath, loving the way it smells. The merchants are loud as they toss large fish to one another for show. It’s a common spectacle in the market and one that’s popular with the tourists, testing to see if someone can catch one without dropping it.
Natalie follows me as we stop in front of one of the counters. Manny, one of the local fishermen, is working today. He greets me with a large grin, already knowing what I’m here for.
After explaining all the fish to Natalie and introducing her to Manny, I realize it maybe wasn’t such a horrible idea for her to come. As a chef, it’s important to experience everything you can about different foods, even when it doesn’t involve actually cooking it.
I’m surprised as Natalie nods and hums every time I explain a certain fish to her or how we prepare it at the restaurant in various ways. Our menu is constantly changing so I try to give her ideas on how we could use other pieces in the future. She’s different today than she was the past several times I had trained her. She’s invested in the job.
After Manny and I set up the delivery that’s to be made tomorrow, Natalie and I begin our walk back to our cars.
We begin the small trek back as Natalie looks down at her feet. “Thank you for explaining it to me.” She smiles, looking up. “This place is pretty exciting.”
I shrug, feeling a hint of a smile on my lips. It was hard not to think about the way Lena and I left things at the house. It was a nice distraction to come here, giving myself time to concentrate on something other than my wife and I’s failed attempts at connecting lately. I walk a bit slower, enjoying the sounds of the market around me. “I never really thought about it but this place is pretty cool.”
Natalie laughs. “You never noticed?”
I shrug. “Not really.”
“You need to lighten up a little.” Natalie giggles again, bumping her shoulder into my arm. She points to a small smoothie cart near the entrance of the market. “Do you mind if we stop and grab one?”
I wince. “We really should get going. Max is waiting for us for the shift change.”
Natalie glances at her phone. “Come on, we still have ten minutes to spare before we have to leave.”
I roll my eyes and begrudgingly agree. “Fine.”
We’re third in line behind the cart and I try not to appear too impatient to get back to the restaurant. Natalie was right. We did have ten minutes to spare but Max was always strict when it came to being on time. I told Natalie that on her first day.
“Have you ever had a smoothie from here?”
I turn to Natalie. She’s standing beside me, studying the menu posted to the top of the cart. I follow her gaze and narrow my eyes, trying to read some of the options. “No, I haven’t.”
“Really?” Her eyebrows arch on her forehead.
“Yeah.” I shake my head, looking around. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything from here.”
Natalie looks back at the menu, clasping her hands behind her back. “My parents never had much money when I was growing up.” Her mouth sets into a frown at the memory. “My dad was a mechanic and my mom was a waitress. They only had me to support but we still struggled. My mom usually cooked one meal to feed us for an entire week. After a while, it became monotonous. But at the end of every month when my dad’s paycheck would come in, he’d take me down to the Santa Monica Pier and treat me to one ride on the Ferris wheel and one ice cream for the ride home. All the toppings my little kid heart desired.” Her frown disappears, replaced by a smile. “I don’t know why I just thought of that now. Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” I laugh under my breath. “It’s nice to have memories like that. I have a few of my parents too. Only mine involved nosebleed seats to see a Bruins game.” I bite the side of my tongue, remembering I never told Natalie exactly where I was from on the east coast. Now I had just narrowed it down to the New England area. If Natalie catches on to my hint, knowing what team I had just mentioned, she doesn’t let on.
“I owe everything to my dad. He helped me get into culinary school and worked extra hours to pay for my tuition, despite knowing the odds of a woman making it big in a male dominated industry.”
“Right.” I nod, awkwardly looking down at my feet. What Natalie was saying was true. I hadn’t even gone to culinary school, making it to where I am based on years of working in the industry and a stroke of luck.
“I don’t think I’d ever go back there though.” She looks down at her feet, kicking a small pebble across the concrete.
“Why not?”
“I haven’t spoken to my mom in years. In fact, I don’t even know where she is. My father moved to Colorado as soon as I moved out of the house. There’s nothing left for me there. Seattle is my new home.”
In a way, I relate to Natalie.
There was
