Kobi was a struggling artist. All she wanted to do was get her art shown at a gallery, but not many people were interested in showing art that was an eclectic fusion of her Chinese and Japanese backgrounds.
Lucky for her, she had a good paying job as a hostess at an up and coming fancy restaurant in the heart of the city. The job was almost perfect. It was nearby. It had flexible hours that allowed her to continue to work on her art and it paid very well for the hours she put in. The only problem was the owner. At first, he was polite. He hired her despite not having any previous experience. He said he liked her exotic looks and she had a friendly smile and personality to match her beautiful looks. But she was often late. She never meant to be, but when she started painting, she would simply lose track of time.
One very important night, she was working on another piece she hoped would be the one for her. As she glanced up at the clock, she realized she was supposed to be at work in ten minutes. She hastily took a shower and threw on her favorite black cocktail dress and matching open toed heels and ran out the door. She was in such a rush that she didn't even have time to put on a bra or panties.
As she walked into the restaurant trying to conceal the fact that she was late again, she knew she was trouble. The place was a madhouse. There were disgruntled customers complaining about their reservations and others upset about being passed over for open tables.
As the owner spotted Kobi, he yelled out, "It's about damn time."
Kobi rushed over repeated, "I'm sorry," in hopes she would not get fired.
The owner simply responded, "Just get things situated here and I will talk to you later."
Kobi thought this would be her last night for sure. As she started attending to several of the unhappy customers, she came across a very upset man. Apparently, this was no ordinary man. He was a renowned food critic making a surprise visit. Things were already not off to a good start as his reservation was for over an hour ago. On top of that, someone had spilled a drink on him while he was sitting and waiting at the bar.
After Kobi apologized and told him he would be seated right away, she ran and found the owner. This was the last thing the owner needed tonight, and it took all his self-control not to lose it right there in the middle of the restaurant. He demanded that Kobi get the food critic seated right away in the private VIP area in the back and that she personally tend to his every need. He made sure to emphasize that this review could make or break the restaurant.
Kobi politely escorted the food critic to his seat in the VIP section.
She said with her biggest smile, "Just ask if you need anything to make your meal more enjoyable."
He simply responded, "The food better be incredible."
Kobi checked in as frequently as she could throughout the course of the meal, but it was not going well. The server had confused his order. When the food finally arrived, he complained that it wasn't cooked properly. After he pushed aside the remainder of his entrée, Kobi asked if he would like to see the desert menu.
