[ Author's Note: This is the updated version. I plan on posting the chapters as I make corrections to them. I might make subtle changes to each chapter, so I suggest rereading it if you were hooked on my first one. Enjoy! ]
Kathryn had mentioned he was one of the best chefs in the county. If you were not fired by Chef Jeff, you could get any job you wanted. The idea of this made Daphne approach Maize with caution. She had a strong chance of getting this job considering her biological mother, Kathryn, recommended her. Daphne hesitated at first to ask Kathryn for help finding a job. She was determined to get employed on her own. She had tried several locations, but they all gave her the same story, they did not want a deaf person in their kitchen. Her deafness was only what defined her, but they did not see it that way. Daphne entered the front door of the five star restaurant with a new found confidence. The hostess glanced up from the computer screen and offered to help. "I am here to see Chef Jeff Reycraft." Daphne requested. The hostess nodded and led her into a private dining room where the Chef was examining the entrees being out to the buffet for the party that afternoon. "Hello Chef Jeff, I am Daphne Vasquez . My mother said you were looking for an extra set of hands." she greeted in her most confident and friendly voice. She was tired of being rejected due to being deaf.
Chef Jeff was surprised by the voice that came from behind him. Not thinking at first, he began to speedily reply as he face away from whoever was behind him. Upon turning around, he saw the confusion on the girl's face like he was speaking Chinese to her. She politely asked him to repeat himself and speak slower. Normally he would have ignored this request because he expected orders to be heard the first time, but there was something different about this girl. Remembering back to the conversation with his boss this morning, Jeff realized this was the girl who was strongly recommended by the Kennish family. "You got the job since I am short handed at the moment. You will refer to me as chef or sir. Nothing else. I expect perfection and nothing but it. If you cannot keep with the food, you will dropped lower in status or cut depending how well staffed I am." he said as he faced her this time. He nodded towards the apron rack and the vegetables that needed to be chopped in the kitchen. "Ask Scuba what you should be cutting. He will explain the kitchen rules to you and where everything is."
"Understood Chef!" Daphne answered as she slipped on an orange apron. She pushed open the door to the kitchen and began looking for a boy with a name tag that read Scuba. She found him mincing garlic by the dishwashing station. "Chef said to report to you. I am Daphne. Chef said you catch me up on everything" she said. The prep chef seemed a lot less stressed out. Scuba guided her with ease as he showed her the ropes. Daphne was soon set up with a sharp knife and a pile of onions that need to be chopped into one inch cubes. Daphne worked as hard as she could to produce as many perfect one inch cubes as possible. Within a couple of hours, she was done with the pile of onions that were originally presented to her. She reeked of the smell of onion and was convinced her hand would fall off if she lifted her knife again. The only thing she had going for her at that moment was that the oh so cute Chef Jeff seemed to approve of her work. She realized though it would take some time before they could understand each other. Chef spoke too fast for her to read his lips, and he did not know how to sign. Clearly this was a problem for Daphne, so once they were all done for the night, she approached him. "Chef, I know I am new, but I cannot understand you even with my hearing aids. You speak so fast I only catch half your sentences. Can you slow down and look at me when you speak?" she requested hoping for a mutual agreement. No such luck, he answered quickly. Something about Scuba translating for her if it was really an issue, or maybe he said Scuba takes care of the kitchen issues.
[ Author's Note: This is step one in updating all my stories. I apologize for stopping all of them without warning, and I hope I still have some fans out there. I would love if you left reviews even though this is a redo of the original. ]