to approach the subject of his mum’s attentions, he sort of waves me off. Not to mention the fact that he doesn’t like to talk about his father at all, but I’m sure he’ll be much more open with me after we’re married.
“Anika?” I’m astounded as I turn the door handle. “What are you doing here so early?” I ask my assistant chef who turns round as I enter the kitchen area at the back of the cafe. Anika is from Hungary and I think she’s close to Zumba Kirsten’s young age. She moved here with her boyfriend a year ago —only to be left by him and all their credit card bills— just a couple of months later. I kept her on. Of course I did! I also let her rent out the studio flat above the cafe. She’s such a diligent cook, but I do worry about her social life. The girl doesn’t seem to have any friends and I keep encouraging her to check with the local college, just to see if there’s any short courses of interest she could take.
I think she’s too shy to go on her own, so today I’m determined to take her there myself.
“I wanted to give you stupendous surprise.” Anika smiles. She’s a smart girl whose motto it is to repeat a newly learned English word of the day. Today’s gem must be: stupendous, as she looks quite pleased with herself. This is why I know she’d have a great time at the local college. Her short cropped black hair is clipped back at the brow and she dusts her hands free of flour onto her apron. “Come this way please, boss lady.”
Rolling my eyes, I follow her through to the rear office. “I told you not to call me that.” Secretly, I think Anika knows how proud I am of my own business, so I never really protest too much when she refers to me as her boss lady. It gives me a little motivational boost whenever I see her.
“Here is your stupendous surprise.” She steps aside and does indeed reveal something utterly stupefying.
Smacking my forehead I drag my hand down my face. “Don’t tell me,” I grumble. “Oliver was here.”
“Yes!” Anika enthuses. “He showed me wonderful and stupendous things this robot can do!”
Oh dear. Oh dearie me. I don’t think I like the looks of this robot one little bit. The black square chunk of metal resembles a large oven. I don’t know how I failed not to notice it as soon as we entered the office. I suppose I must have subconsciously thought the hulking dark object was a big new filing cabinet.
Anika starts speaking to the device, so I know the thing is voice activated like Zumba Kirsten’s boom box robot. Except, Anika seems to be speaking to this behemoth of a thing in her native language.
“It understands Hungarian?”
Anika nods at me and finishes what she was saying to it.
Suddenly, the object bursts into motion. A tray shoves out of the front with a cucumber on it and starts chopping away. Before I know it the robot has sliced and diced its way through all the ingredients I was going to put together for soup of the day.
“It is stupendous, yes?” Anika beams at me.
I don’t know what to say. I have to admit I am impressed, but at what price? “How much does Oliver want for this thing?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“That is stupendously correct, boss lady. Mr Oliver said you need the robot help and he is stupendously kind to gift it.”
Chewing my bottom lip, I’ve got my doubts. I don’t want to upset Anika though, so I keep my reservations to myself. Why would Oliver give me this massive robot for free? It must have cost a fortune to develop at CoTechnic.
I smell a rotten fish, and I’m not talking about that one time we had to throw out a bad batch of mackerel. I’ll leave it for now, but I’m definitely returning this contraption to Oliver today. I’ll just have to tell Anika it went in for repairs or something.
Whhhrrrr.
The machine just finished blending all its ingredients inside its internal blender.
“It now stupendously will cook the soup inside blender.” Anika looks on at the slightly glowing robot. Clearly she’s impressed by the stupendous thing. Admittedly, I can’t find fault with something so helpful, but I’m still weary and determined to send it right back to the factory as soon as possible.
***
Dropping my keys onto the entrance hall