Life In The Fast Lane Part 2

Chapter 263-1

Life In The Fast Lane

Part 2

 

Stringum had arranged a hotel for our staff near the event center so they wouldn’t have to travel back and forth once they had what they need down there. My day just got longer as I listed everything I had to do. It seemed too much for 17 years old, with very little training of running an industrial kitchen and doing a close to 3,000 covers. I knew I was in a world of hurt, but I figured that I could live on coke and coffee to make it happen.

It wasn’t until 7 pm when we all took a nice long break having ordered pizza for all of us. I was glad for the break, and I was glad the girls and our mothers were done making themselves beautiful because it meant more help for me in the kitchen. The bakery crews were almost done loading things up and so were the salad team, which meant more room for me and me prep crew.

Chef Mack had me and Chef Philips go down with them, so we could make sure everything was going as planned before we ran into any problems that we couldn’t work out. Dad asked if I needed to come back, said that they could handle the rest with Chef Mack overseeing things. Now that all they had left to do was 1,000 or so twice baked potatoes and 500 or so cordon-bleu.

I knew what he was trying to do, but I couldn’t let him push me out of my kitchen. Mom settled it stating clearly that I wasn’t needed here just too cook bake potatoes and make sure the rest of the chicken got finished and loaded on to the semi for transport. Not with Chef Mack overseeing things. I pointed out I still need to finish my prep for the German green beans and the candied carrots, least not forget all the roasts that needed to be put into the oven by 2 am at the latest.

Chef Philips stated I could do all of that down in the main kitchen at the event center, and it would be far better to cook the prime ribs in smaller quantities closer to the time I would need them rather then having them sit in a hot cart, or having to reheat them to the proper temperature. And if I had too I could borrow the hotel kitchen ovens if I needed to. Stating once more that a good chef needs to trust his crew, and he needs to see to everything. Not standing around doing work that he has trained his own crew to do; calling it micromanaging.

The moment he said that I felt he too was pushing me out of my kitchen. Yet I remembered what Stringum had said, that he must learn to trust the people that he works with, or he will never sleep, never be able to enjoy life and most of all; letting the people that work for you grow. I gave a tired sigh and nodded, having Lyle or baker and Chef Mack’s wife give me a proximate time when they will be ready to leave; getting approximate time 1 hour or possibly 2.

I was about to inform them that I didn’t have my overnight bag with a clean Chef Jacket and pants as well as my shiny black shoes. Mom said smiling. “You are not going to need them, son until the party actually starts; besides Rhoda will have everything you will need long before you will need them.”

I said. “I realize that, but if you hadn’t realized that my grandmother is going to freak out the moment she sees my blond hair.”

Dad laughed. “We will just tell her its part of your Halloween costume. It will save time for us dying it again on Saturday for the premiere. You’re just making up excuses to be here when you know that you can’t control every situation.

“Mom’s right son, you have done your job here, now its time for you to move on to your next one. I want you in bed by the time we arrive. If you are not I will tranq you personally and you know me and Mr. Vincent can hold you down, especially in the state you are in. You can barely keep yourself standing and your eyes open. I am surprised you aren’t passed out on the kitchen floor by now. Coffee and soda is not a substitution for sleep. I counted 12 cups of coffee, and I have lost count on how many cups of coke you have drunk in the last three hours alone. Plus how many extra strength tablets you have taken for you sleep deprived headache.

“Must I remind you what happens to you when you haven’t slept for a week and had to put you in the hospital so you can without hurting yourself? Yes, you need to be running the show, and you are trying your best to rise to the challenge we have given you. We are all proud of you for it. Even with all the things that we have thrown at you over the last few days. Extraordinary as you are son, you aren’t Superman, even Superman needs sleep. You forget that Chef Philips and Chef Mack have been doing this for more years then you have been alive.

“They can and will if they have to step in so you don’t push yourself to the point, that we are needing strap you down and knock you out cold and missing the biggest party of the year. So you better not think for one minute, that we won’t do so. So you have two choices. Stay here and I will tranq you, or go where you need to be, and then get yourself in bed no later than 1 am, not 2 not 3 and not 4 or 5, being the only one up all night slaving away. While the rest of us are sleeping, when everything is done, that can be done.

“I will turn you over my knee and then tranq you until the party starts… and then when your grandmother arrives she will bend you over her knee and give you what for plus an epic tongue lashing. When you have all the people you need to make this fundraiser a success and you tell her that you haven’t slept for nearly a week because you couldn’t let us help you. I promise you, she will not only give you a tongue lashing. Your cute little bottom will be so sore you won’t be able to sit down for a month and you know she can do it. So what it’s going to be son, stay or go?”

I gave heavy sigh getting a hard nod from Chef Philips and Chef Mack. That stated they would make good on my Dads promises. I said. “I’ll be ready to leave when you are Chef Philips.”

I got up from the table as the last delivery came in with the rest of my prime ribs, chicken, bakers and everything else I would need, Chef Philips said. “Check the order in son, and then we will leave knowing your crew here can handle things here. Martin, Luke grabs your stuff so we can go. I think Eli and Chad can handle the dish room and Kirk and Mark with the help of Hank, West and Erik can clean up the kitchen for the night and ride down with the rest them that are going down tonight.”

I hated the idea that they were right, but the decision was final, I did what I was asked and hopped into the car with Martin and Luke. Mom sent Dad along pushing him to the curb and to make sure I would be in bed long before everyone else arrived. I watched Dad watching her slip something into his pocket as Mom kissed him goodbye. Telling him that if he and I weren’t in bed when she arrived with the rest of our brew that was spending the night in Salt Lake that he too would be tranq considering he had been up almost as long as I have.

To her, it was contest between me and Dad who could stay up the longest without falling flat on our faces. Dad said. “Karen, trust me. I have can handle a few nights without sleep. After raising kids that keep us up half the night.”

Mom patted his cheek and smiled. “Yes dear, but you and I were younger back then and didn’t know better. Now were are older and wiser, and our kids are older where they too think they know everything. Now be a good boy and go with our son too make sure you both don’t fall down being as tried as I know you are.”

Dad could never say no to Mom, more so when he knew she was right, which almost always when it comes to Mom. He gave heavy sigh and climbed into the car next me watching Mom and the gang wave too us as we followed the first two semis with most of our food and equipment leaving two more to pick up the rest.

I still couldn’t close my eyes without seeing those ghouls and dead bodies hanging being torn apart as they feed upon them, this time my father had become one of them as he was feeding off me and my brother. I jerked wake causing Dad to freak out reaching for my arms and hands seeing red marks on his arms and face where my fingers nails dug into his skin. He was about to tranq me, but we were minutes away from the event center. He had no choice, but to put it away because he was too tired to carry me.

Instead, he asked me three basic dream questions. Who is tiger? What color are his stripes? And why does he roar? Once I answered the questions correctly he breathed a sigh of relief telling Chef Philips that I was fine, but to keep an eye on me as he cursed because everyone was pushing me beyond my limits. Chef Philips said. “We won’t be long, we just need to do a quick walk through and get the items off the trucks into the coolers. We won’t need to do any cooking, just do an equipment test, then we all go to the hotel and get some rest. Like you, we are all dog tired.”

I looked at my watch noting it was 10 pm. It took us 45 minutes to drive down here, do to the snow and ice on the canyon roads and the heavy traffic. It didn’t lighten up until we were almost to Salt Lake City seeing barely a skiff of snow. It wouldn’t be the first time we had snow in the valley on Halloween.  I had sent out Landon to get my mother a birthday present, even though I had got her a dog she had named frosty the 2nd almost two months ago during our last home visit.

That was because we didn’t think I would be around for her birthday which was two days ago. We didn’t celebrate it being as there was no time, and with everything going on. Dad and I decided that we would celebrate it here on Halloween. We were keeping it hush, hush, for now, making her think we had already celebrated it when we gave her dog who she is missing because Aaron had taken him with him while my mother is in the hospital. Knowing if my father got his hands on him he would call the pound and have him picked up and destroyed; all because he hated pets, more so because it was me that gave her the dog.

We had several cats growing up that I could remember, my mother kept the names simple always renaming them the same name like if we had 3 white cats they were all name Angel or snowball. If we had a black cat she would them shadow. Knowing how my father felt about pets, when they got sick or if he or they got injured in any way that would require a vet. He would take them on what he called a one-way ride to drop them off on the side of the freeway or some back road within 100 miles from home.

He made us all go with him forcing my mother to drive the car until he was satisfied that it would be a miracle if they survived and made it back. It was his way of showing us how much he cared about us and how easy it would be for him and my mother to get rid of us if we became a problem.

He was even crueler when it came to dogs or what he said a more kinder way, by dropping them off at the pound and having them destroyed regardless if they said it was unnecessary, that they could put them up for adoption after they saw a vet. Making my father even madder said. “No! No! No! I will not pay for some damn animal vet bill. If I could get away with it, I save a ton of money if I could do the same for these brats when they get sick and injured eating me out of house and home and running up my utility bills and taking up space. They do not deserve to breathe the same air as I do.” Pointing to me and Aaron; he hated us so much he couldn’t use our names.

It was either boy or some hateful name he could think of. He would slam down the fee to do it on the counter and yell spitting in their face. “They should have some sort of pound for them, where all I would have to do is drop them off where I can watch them die, knowing these devils spawn children who came from hell are going back to where they came from. But instead, the God damn law is always tying me god damn hands telling me I have to spend my hard earned money and my taxes on these godforsaken b******s.”

They would argue about it saying. If he didn’t want them the state could take us off his hands. My father would laugh with a growl reaching down for his belt realizing if he whipped out and started flogging me and Aaron they would call the cops right there, instead he would end the conversation as he prodded us out the door more like manhandling us as he gripped mine and Aaron's hard. 

Telling us he would give us something to cry about if we didn’t shut up this very second and turn back to the clerk. “Yes and they do when I can’t take it anymore, but the thing is you stupid a*****e they keep bring them back to me. Telling me they are my problem, not theirs. Now do what I ask or give me the means to do it myself. That god damn dog is going to be put down one way or another. I would have dumped him on the side of the road as I have done with all those worthless cats. But like these f*****g brats, they keep coming back.”

He would slam the door shut and struck me and Aaron across the face as my mother manhandles us back into the car leaving our favorite pet behind. Telling me and Aaron it was our fault because we didn’t take care of him and didn’t have the guts to kill it in the first place when he came back after the 4th  time we had taken him on a one way ride like we had done with the all the cats.

My father hated animals; he hated them as much as he hated me and Aaron. And he was right if he could he would have marched us inside the gas chamber and flip the switch and watched us die as if it was the best show in the world and not feel any remorse or grieved for us.  Grandma said he was never like that when he was living at home or growing up.

It wasn’t until he came home after the Vietnam War that he was no longer the person she knew, even she was uncertain what caused the change considering he never saw any action, and never left the base being as he was a plumber and not a bomber like it says on my original birth certificate. Which he had changed the moment he found out about the mistake and proved that he wasn’t. Like it being a plumber was a top paying job that he was proud of more so them having him listed as a bomber.

Several times I had asked if my mother had an affair and Aaron and I really didn’t belong to him or her. She would show us him pictures that she had taken that showed that wasn’t the case, considering my father not my Mother took pictures of me and Aaron, all the pictures were usually of Susan and Becky unless it was family pretend pictures. That and the timing of my mothers pregnancy stated he had gotten her pregnant with me right before he went into the service and she was living with my grandmother, not some flophouse, and because she was an LDS convert and her family wanted nothing to do with her was why she had no other place to go; the moment she married my father and joined the church and was married in the LDS temple the only wedding ceremony they had.

The moment he found out that I was a boy, not a girl, was the very moment he wanted nothing more to do with me. Most fathers wanted nothing more than to have boys, while mothers wanted girls, but were just as happy that they had a boy instead. My mother wasn’t one of them, the moment she held me for the first time she practically tried to smother me. If it wasn’t for my grandfather being in the room at the time she would have. Stating it was accident being a first-time mother. Then she tried to drown me in the kitchen sink while bathing me as my grandmother quickly came to my rescue.

She lived with my grandmother on off for 5 years while my father served until he was home for good. The moment he and my mother was free from my grandparents not more than a year when I had turned almost 6, was when I went into the system. Aaron wasn’t old enough being he was only 2 at the time, and she and my younger sister Becky, which made up for Aaron being born a boy. Susan and Becky were their pride and joy as Aaron I were nothing more than a bad mistake, having my grandparents stepping in, but being that they couldn’t watch them 24/7.

They watched over Aaron allowing the State to take me hoping that the stress would lessen for my mother, my father and they would come around, which never happened. I was safer being in a ward of the state, then being anywhere near my father or my mother. Who would forget to feed me, change my diapers or leave me in the hot cars without so much as rolling down a window? The State was an easy escape and excuses to get rid of me. But when it came to putting me up for adoption, my grandparents fought against it; well until the Downing’s when my Grandmother agreed that perhaps they had made mistake not doing it sooner.

But by then my parents couldn’t let that happen because it would make them look bad, if they put me up for adoption, and still raising Susan, Aaron and Becky. Even though they didn’t want Aaron, they were forced to keep him, because it would seem odd that both their boys were adopted or a ward of the State while their girls lived in happy bliss.

It was all about family, neighbors, and friends how they looked at them as parents. Always butting in where they weren’t supposed to because they found a bruise or in my case several bruises where they had beat me to the inch of my life; having the cops and family service being called. Including my grandmother soon after my grandfather died. Knowing the only place safe for me was out of that home and placed in foster care.

But that was no longer important. True my father still hated me, and true it seemed my mother wanted me and Aaron and was paying the price for it. I had other things to worry about as I stepped out of the car pulling my coat tighter around me feeling the cold temperatures and the wind and rain trying to freeze me. It was time to put on my big boy pants, digging deep for anything that could give me the strength to push on.