own situation. In the past, a moment of misstep, a silly kiss from a schoolmate, made my world change completely. My father saw us and our relationship was never the same. I went through so much after that. I finished school, graduated in gastronomy and left home after much discussion and contempt. I haven't forgotten that my father and mother never stopped helping me with my studies, giving me a roof over my head and preventing me from going hungry, as I would have faced the streets and eaten from the garbage if it weren't for both of them. But my father's insults, my mother's disappointed cries for having a son condemned to hell, a gay son, were greater than the care I received. I left them as soon as I could. I had little money, but I was taken in by my older brother for a while. Soon he got married and I managed to open a small restaurant in a simple neighborhood. It was a good path, which I followed with the support of him and my sister-in-law. To them, I never stopped expressing my gratitude, as well as to the friends I made along the way. I grew little by little, and with the help of some contacts, I was soon able to move my restaurant to the center, where I had more visibility and my food was noticed by well-known names in my area. I was growing more and more, but I didn't stop taking care of those who took care of me. Gabi was one of those people. My friend was one of my oldest customers, who never let me give up my restaurant. She supported me in moments that I didn't even tell my brother, who was taking care of his children in a way that our father was never capable of in our youth. I didn't want to keep bringing him problems, just good news, and Gabi understood me, as she had gone through the same thing with her family, who were even more cruel and kicked her out when they met his girlfriend at the time. We supported each other, and as a good friend, I ended up agreeing to evaluate the food at the buffet she had with her wife. I had already tried sweet and savory foods for some time. They were delicious and that was what caught the attention of customers, who recommended them to others. The buffet grew quickly, and I was very happy for them. But Gabi told me that there were some complaints and that the people in the kitchen had been changed. The small explanation was enough for me. The flavor was different and did not look like what the online reviews described. But it shouldn't be so bad, that's what I thought when I accepted the invitation to one of the parties. Gabi might not be an experienced cook, but she knew good food
Chapter 1 accepted
and that was what caught the attention of customers, who recommended them to others. The buffet grew quickly, and I was very happy for them. But Gabi told me that there were some complaints and that the people in the kitchen had been changed. The small explanation was enough for me. The flavor was different and did not look like what the online reviews described. But it shouldn't be so bad, that's what I thought when I accepted the invitation to one of the parties. Gabi might not be an experienced cook, but she knew good food.
Arriving at the place, I soon realized that the poor thing didn't even have time to smell the spices. Gabi quickly greeted me and after that, she walked back and forth, making sure everything was in order. Gabi's wife was at home, as she had been in an accident and fractured her leg. She was alone. I felt sorry for her and thought about going to help in the kitchen, but Gabi was firm when she invited me. "Just try it and give your honest opinion," was what she said, because she didn't want to get used to me in the kitchen and then not have me around. I found her logic funny, but I had to agree. My restaurant already kept me busy, and a new project, if successful, would make me even busier soon. As she asked, I walked between the tables. It was an outdoor party, in a very spacious place, with a green lawn and some trees, which were far away. The long tables had some buffet staff, but they were only there to help. The guests served themselves freely, so I didn't stand on ceremony. I went straight for the heart of palm pie, which used to be my favorite from Gabi's buffet, but when I put it in my mouth, I understood the new reviews. It was so salty that I couldn't taste anything. I tried hard not to grimace, but it was impossible not to worry when I tried the rest, which, to balance the brine in the heart of palm, had no flavor whatsoever. The chicken had no color and the ham and cheese looked like paper. What the hell happened in that kitchen? I asked myself as I walked away from the savory table and headed towards the sweet table. It was a children's party, so that table must have been the most important. As I walked, I carefully observed people trying on some things. There were those who made faces without any shame, and others who really didn't seem to care. Maybe they were used to poor quality or were very good at pretending. This left me embarrassed, as I didn't expect it to be so bad. What would I say to Gabi? 'Her food is rubbish. Fire everyone and bring the old employees back'? I didn't have the courage, even though I had the freedom to do so. Paying attention to the sweets area and rehearsing the words I would say to Gabi, my gaze ended up falling on a little boy who stopped in front of the table, who was eye-catching, beautiful. The look, as always, was impeccable and made you want to try anything that was on the table. Gabi was very good at that, I always told her, but I soon suspected that it wasn't her who had directly taken care of that table. I raised my eyebrows at the same moment I saw the little boy, who was barely as tall as the table legs, pick up a lollipop that was stuck in a cone that went from the floor to the height of an adult man. He seemed to be alone, so I hurried to catch up with him. But it was too late. When I knelt down in front of him, the boy had already removed the packaging and innocently placed the lollipop in his mouth. The poor guy's grimace as he bit into what wasn't actually sweet, made me feel sorry, and without much thought, I removed the piece of plaster from his mouth, which was white and twisted with disgust. "It's okay, it's okay," I said hastily, as I wiped his mouth with my coat sleeve. - Little one, this isn't a real lollipop - I warned him belatedly. I appeared calm as I showed that the entire cone was a decoration, while inside I was quite angry. Gabi didn't allow any decorative food at her buffet, it was never like that, but it seemed that the rush of having a business that grew overnight had overcome her in some aspects. This was a children's party, for God's sake! I wouldn't stop criticizing that when we had a conversation. Fake food at a party? Well, once again the bad reviews were explained, but I put my anger aside at that moment, because the little boy looked very sad about having made a mistake, and worse, there was no real lollipop on the table. "I bet it was just a joke," I told him, as I tapped the thin plaster of one of the lollipops on my own head. - It saw? The boy laughed and so did I, but I soon thought it was quite irresponsible. What if he took that lollipop and went around hitting other people in the head? I felt like a huge idiot, but the boy seemed happy again, and his little smile brought a comfortable warmth to my chest. He was very cute. - Uncle, but I wanted a real lollipop - he ended up saying, but he didn't seem upset, as he was still laughing at the lollipop crushed by my head. He was very smart, he must have been at most three years old, but he spoke very well and was well groomed. The clothes had no dirt on them. I was surprised not to have someone surrounding him, but for a moment, the boy reminded me of my own childhood. My brother and I were also always impeccable. Our parents took care of us, but we didn't have as much undivided attention because we were always at church, surrounded by people who adored our family and wanted our attention. I felt very alone at that time, even with my brother by my side, and without noticing, I made up a ridiculous story for the boy in front of me without even knowing his name. I talked about everything changing in someone's life due to a small event in a single day, because that moment when I wanted to make the boy happy was what made my situation change completely. I smiled like a fool at him and bent down a little more, level with his bright brown eyes. - Uncle is going to find you a real lollipop, okay? - I promised, excitedly, and the wide smile, full of cute teeth, won my heart. I wanted to mess up his well-groomed brown hair, but I r
Chapter 1 accepted
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Chapter 2 I looked
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Chapter 3 the friend
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Chapter 4 crazy person
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Chapter 5 my mother's
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Chapter 6 And of course
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Chapter 7 What that felt like
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Chapter 8 I wanted to hurry
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Chapter 9 strange
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Chapter 10 comfortable
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Chapter 11 loved
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Chapter 12 seriously
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Chapter 13 I was confused
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Chapter 14 She said, indignantly
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Chapter 15 minutes before
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Chapter 16 the vision
25/02/2024
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