Mr. Mastache had the kitchen prepared for her, with all the ingredients ready, so she herself would only need to choose a dish from the recipe to begin her preparation.
-It is too much to ask you to do everything, Miss Saenz. Choose a dish from the menu with which you feel most confident. I’ll leave the kitchen to you while we wait outside. -said Señor Mastache.
-Okay,” agreed Yanis.
Afterwards, Mr. Mastache took the middleman and Brisa to the terrace for tea. In fact, he was very skilled in the preparation of tea. Unfortunately, none of his guests knew the art of tea.
The middleman was very rough and handled the cup in a rather strange way. Nevertheless, he was very good at making balls. After taking a sip, he flattered with exaggeration,
-My God! What a delight!
Señor Mastache smiled but said nothing.
Brisa was so worried about her daughter that she didn’t feel like drinking the tea. The intermediary’s words had convinced her that Mr. Mastache was a very loyal man, and that the store was the legacy of his deceased wife. Naturally, she could understand that Mr. Mastache demanded the upkeep of the original store and the high rent.
However, what happened earlier in the day made Brisa very uncomfortable, thinking that this gentleman was making things difficult for his daughter. Yanis knew nothing about his wife, not even her name. How could he demand that Yanis prepare a dish that tasted exactly like his deceased’s. This was ridiculous, totally impossible!
Brisa had reason to believe that the rent was bait and that the real goal of that gentleman was to humiliate them. She wanted to swear to express her anger and disgust, but the words wouldn’t come out because she remembered what her daughter had said.
“Forget it, Yanis is still there cooking, I have to have faith in her, she’ll make it! I have to control my anger, after all, they haven’t drawn the conclusions yet …. ”
Time passed slowly, Mr. Mastache continued to serve them tea and the middleman was pleased, drinking cup after cup. The tea he drank warmed his body and chased away the winter cold. But the downside was that drinking too much water made him want to urinate.
Out of respect for those present, The Intermediary had to force himself to retire a little later. “In a few minutes, Miss Saenz should have finished the preparation.”
In the end, however, the intermediary could not stand it any longer because the waiting was killing him. No way, he was forced to get up, and said,
-Excuse me, Mr. Mastache, Mrs. Brisa, I have to go to the bathroom.
Señor Mastache was very considerate and motioned to a maid to take him to the bathroom.
The intermediary had just left when the kitchen door opened. As soon as Brisa, who was waiting anxiously, heard the sound, she immediately got up and greeted him, asking,
-Daughter, how did it go? Everything all right?
Before answering, Yanis took two steps back to move away. Then, he warned her,
-Mom, I’m smoky from being in the kitchen for so long. Don’t come near me.
-Oh, my God, you fool! Now is not the time for that, tell me how it went,” Brisa pinched his ear. Then she looked up at Señor Mastacheque who was sitting in his seat looking at them very calmly.
-I see that Señor Mastache is up to no good and is deliberately humiliating you with this mess. If you’re not happy with the dish you’ve made, let’s get the hell out of here. I’ll ask your father to help you find a better store. If he can’t get it either, for the worst, we’ll give in a little to accept a store farther away,” Brisa whispered in Yanis’ ear.
-Emmm… Mom, I’ve already prepared noodles, so why don’t we wait for this gentleman to try them? Do you have so little confidence in me?
-Nonsense! I totally believe in you. But don’t you think he’s left you with an impossible task to accomplish? It is evident that he is making it difficult for you. I regret very much having taken you to see that store and having subjected you to such humiliation…
-Now, now, now, now…. Now that we’ve come to this, let’s not say any more nonsense words.
Yanis approached Mr. Mastache and said that he had prepared noodles for him.
Mr. Mastache glanced at the maid and she went to the kitchen to bring him a bowl of noodles that looked good.
As soon as he saw it, his usual disguised smile immediately vanished and was replaced by the expression of surprise. He looked at Yanis and exclaimed,
-How clever! My wife loved this kind of noodles when she was alive.
His wife’s favorite, of course, became his favorite. Mr. Mastache did not expect Yanis to choose him, unlike the previous so-called chefs, who were so stupid and arrogant. For a moment, Señor Mastache was impressed by Yanis.
“I’m afraid she’s no ordinary woman if she gets the middleman has contacted me.” Lord Mastache smiled slightly and lowered his head to taste a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks.
When noodles reached his mouth, he froze, then took another bite.
Brisa, very nervous, grabbed Yanis’ hand tightly and asked him in a whisper,
-Have you tried them? What do you think?
Yanis seemed to be keeping very calm, but in reality his heart was fluttering. He didn’t know his wife at all, let alone tasted her food, how could Yanis make a dish that tasted exactly the same? Luckily, she was smart girl, who had many new ideas.
A moment later, Mr. Mastache’s face showed some sadness, and he became very distracted. Yanis sat down in front of him and waited for him to speak.
-Miss Saenz, that tastes very different from what my wife does,” said Señor Mastache, in a low voice.
This timeBrisa surprisingly remained calmer, as his words were expected of her. Just as she was about to blurt out her earlier anger, Yanis beat her to it by replying.
-Lord Mastache, I made this dish especially for you, and I’m sure you’ve noticed it too.
Mr. Mastache felt bitterness at the thought of his wife leaving him, but sweetness at the thought of his former happy life with her. So Yanis had made noodles with a mixed taste of sweetness and bitterness, not at all delicious, but very much in keeping with his emotional state.
Mr. Mastache stopped his hand that was with his chopsticks, then looked at Yanis and said,
-You are very clever, but I regret that you did not comply with my previous request.