Chapter 6

• As night falls, Annika gets ready to head home, but the memory of that particular moment has stuck with her. There’s something about Bruce she adores so much, but does he feel the same way about her or is he merely friendly? He is new to the country and trying to be nice to everyone else. Maybe soon he will explore the city and maybe meet a person and forget about her.
• But tonight, it feels different He was so intimate with her in a way that she couldn’t explain. It was the first time a man made her feel this way. He made her feel so special. He made her miss him and yearn for him. She waited this long for this moment, but she is afraid for some reason. She asked herself, "Am I good enough for him? I was just a waitress, but now a restaurant receptionist. " She didn’t know what to say. Suddenly she felt down and scared. She is scared to fall in love because she has never fallen in love before. "Is this love?" she asked herself. She is happy, but at the same time, she is scared and worried. Is love supposed to feel this way? She is just hopeful that things will go her way.
• As she was walking home to catch the bus, a woman approached her in a car. It was Jessica, one of the managers, who conducted an interview when she applied for La Gondola. "Can I give you a ride?" she offered. Jessica is a typical brown-skinned woman, a little taller than Annika. She has a friendly smile and an accommodating nature about her.
• She was wearing a set of black jackets and trousers that looked expensive. You can see how nice the watch is that she is wearing; it sparkles when light strikes it. "You have time?" "Let's grab some drinks," she offered. Annika thought the night was not so young anymore, but why not? Jessica is one of her bosses. She is the manager of one of Chef Bill’s Irish restaurants, also situated in Makati. Annika boarded the car, and they drove around looking for any open bar to grab a drink at. They found one along Pasay Road. The name of the bar is Friends. It is perhaps taken from this famous American series. It's just a small bar with a very small number of seats and a little stage in front. A musician was playing some acoustic songs with his guitar and singing along with them. There's a very small number of people around, and it's probably almost midnight.
• Annika and Jessica called the attention of the server and ordered some drinks. "What would you like to drink? Jessica asked Annika while she was looking for her drinks herself. I’ll have a glass of juice only; I still have work tomorrow and I don’t want to feel tipsy or tired when I am working. She answered. Jessica thought it was very good of Annika to be so responsible for her work. So how's it work? Was it busy tonight at Gondola? Jessica asked. Annika told her how the night goes, that La Gondola is so busy and she does not expect to see any famous people in it.
• She also shared how she enjoyed her new job and how nice the other employees treated her. She also shared how nice the owners are. And Jessica agreed. Jessica mentioned that she used to work as a receptionist as well with Chef Bill’s other restaurant, but now she is managing this restaurant now, The Irish Pub Makati, a newly opened pub. Annika thought, how lucky this lady is.
• She must be very good at what she does because she got promoted as a manager. Annika then reasoned that if she does well with her bookings, she might one day be promoted to one as well.
• Jessica shared a lot of her struggles with running the pub that night. It is located in an area that is a little far away from the central business area, so it is not picking up much business during operational hours. And she was pressured to make sales every night. Annika wondered how Chef Bill could pressure someone for revenue. Annika just listened to her while they were having drinks. She was thinking of how she could help Jessica the best she could to improve the pub’s sales.
• She was just thinking of what she was good at, and that was to help her promote the pub in La Gondola. "Maybe I can help you promote the pub in La Gondola. I can introduce it to my guests, and they might want to have a drink of Irish beer and watch football in your pub. " Annika offered. Jessica smiled at Annika and responded, "What a great idea you have, Annika. I would appreciate that a lot. " Annika then shared her ideas and offered to talk to Chef Bill and Larry, her manager at La Gondola, about how she would get the guest to know about the pub. Chef Bill owned it anyway, she thought.
• Jessica was so happy with Annika’s ideas that she even offered to pay for the drinks that night. " I got this" as the server handed the bill for payment. Jessica gave her business card to Annika and said, "You should call me anytime. Let's have another drink sometime when you are not so tired at work. You should also come to the pub sometime when you’re free. " Annika agreed but did not promise as her schedule didn’t allow her to visit Jessica at the pub; they both operate at night. Annika answered, "I’ll try to come when it's my day off." She thought she should visit one day as she had never been in an Irish pub before.
• That night, they parted ways. It has been a long day for Annika, but she is very happy. She saw the love of her life again, and she gained a new friend, Jessica. Is there anything better than that? She pondered. She went home satisfied with how her day went. How she wished every day could be like this day. This is one happy day indeed.