End Flashback

Yes, ladies and gentlemen.
At that point of the story, Shane actually fired me.
I was only trying to give her my best advice, but she couldn’t, she wasn’t able to listen.
She definitely didn’t want to.
I can’t say it for sure, but I think she had figured out that Carmen had tried to seduce me.
Shane can be such an animal sometimes, and she just nails things.
She just nails them.
We never spoke about Carmen meeting me in my studio that Thursday afternoon, but I am almost entirely positive about Shane figuring out what had happened.
What hadn’t happened, actually.
I don’t know if she was disappointed, or pissed, or simply jealous.
What I know, if that she was definitely gonna ruin Carmen’s dinner.

Flashback – Carmen

I smile, watching my guests, one by one.
“Now, some of the dishes tonight are new”, I say, standing up in my wonderful evening dress.
“Some, I’ve no doubt made for you before. But they are all my favorite dishes as you are all my favorite clients”.
My guests… They all smile. They seem incredibly pleased.
Until Shane enters the room.
She is blind drunk and she smells like a distillery.
She’s wearing a creased black tuxedo and half of her white shirt is dangling outside her pants.
She even wears a black top hat and she can hardly keep her balance.
She grins at me, widely.
“Hello, darling. Sorry, I am late”.
The guests stop talking and look at her like she’s just escaped from a criminal asylum.
“Well”, she exclaims, staggering on her unsteady feet, “I guess I’d better not sit too close to anybody because I have a bit of a cold”.
She extracts a napkin from her socket and blows her nose, sonorously.
Then, she throws the napkin into my porridge.
I am speechless.
My guest are murmuring, which is obviously not a good sign.
Shane smiles widely.
“Now I guess I’ll go in and irrigate the fish”.
Stumbling and tottering, she motions towards the kitchen.
I swallow and try to offer an apologizing smile to my guests.
“Please, please just sit… “, I mutter, feeling my forehead covering in sweat.
“Please… I’ll take care of it. Just, sit…”.
They keep on murmuring and the noise in my head becomes unbearable.
“I’ll be right back”, I stammer, “Just… Just excuse me for a minute”.
I head towards the kitchen and close the door behind my back, clenching my jaw.
Shane is using a little fire extinguisher against my fabulous sea-bass.
“Shane”, I say, trying to keep my voice quiet, “These people are my clients. You are messing with my business”.
She doesn’t reply.
She just glances at me over her shoulder, her topper wonky on her head, and grins.
“I have the food editor from the Pastout there”, I add, gritting my teeth.
No answer.
Shane just turns off the extinguisher.
I give her a look full of disgust.
“I would never, never, never humiliate you like this”, I say, wincing.
Shane smirks, dangling the extinguisher in front of my eyes.
“You’re not equipped to, honey”.
My eyes narrow as I give her the gaze of death.
I grab a pot from the counter and throw it at her, hitting her right between her shoulder blades.
She slumps her shoulders, taking the whack with a low moan, and then her eyes follow me as I head towards the back door.
“Leaving so soon, baby doll? Huh?”.
As I walk towards the garage, I can hear her talking to my guests.
“Sorry, but a family tiff seems to be developing”.
She chuckles.
“I don’t know if you should leave, but I definitely advise skipping the fish course”.