The day started like any other for her. She came in at her usual time and started singing as she cleaned up the kitchen. She loved her job and loved to sing, there was but one difference in her usual behavior.
"Ooh baby, do you know what that's worth? We'll make heaven a place on Earth! Ooh, heaven is a place on Earth!" she sang.
She swept and whiped off the the counters.
"They say in heaven love comes first, we'll make heaven a place on Earth!" she continued.
She hadn't noticed Abe, her boss, standing in the doorway with the waiter doors propped open.
"So it's true, you ARE seeing someone," he pointed out.
She gasped and turned towards him. It didn't seem to bother her that he interrupted her song.
"Hi Abe, how's things?" she replied.
"Debbie Wilde, you always have a song in your heart but rarely is it a love song," the old goat chuckled.
At that a black wolf stumbled in. She yawned as she took a bite out of her breakfast burrito from Fishkins.
"Morning Leaf," Debbie greeted.
"Oh com'n Leafarna, you work in a three-star bar and grill and you come in every morning putting junk food in your gut," Abe lectured.
"Ah gimme' a break boss," she replied tiredly before hitting up the cappacinno maker.
After having a couple sips of hot french vanilla she seemed to wake up.
"So Deb, is it true you've got a man in your life?" she asked.
"Maybe," the vixen replied.
"Maybe? What kind of answer is maybe? Don't play with me like that," the wolf half-growled.
Debbie just laughed.
"I still remember when you thought Alex was my boyfriend," she chuckled.
Leafarna just huffed and scowled. Abe waited paitiently as his staff arrived and began clocking in and cleaning the kitchen and bar. Tabitha, the sow, was very meticulous about scrubbing down the beer taps. Abe had always felt lucky to have such a tidy and efficient barmaid. Her husband, Frank, was a tall boar who served Spumoni's as a waiter, table-buster, and bouncer when the need called for it. He had a total of eight chefs on staff. Louie, a grizzly, his oldest and dearest friend had just retired giving his position of Head Chef to Deborah Wilde. Abe had always trusted Louie's judgement and Debbie had yet to disappoint the old goat. Last year, just before Louie's retirement, some finicky food critic from France knocked a star off their rating. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Debbie suggested adding more common dishes to the menu and dropping the price tags to affordible levels for middle class workers. To Abe's surprise, when he tried her suggestions for a week the place made more money and gained an influx of customers that they never had as a four-star restaurant. On top of that, due to their quality control and customer service, many of their wealthy clients continued to dine with them. Today was different though, as soon as everyone had arrived Abe called them all to the dining hall.
"Tonight is gonna' be special. We're gonna' be hosting Gordon Rams and his TV crew," Abe announced.
"I don't think this is a good idea, Abe but you're the boss," Debbie replied.
"Well, you earned the right to speak your mind around here Deb, what's on it?" he asked.
"A TV crew in a busy kitchen? That's a recipe for disaster. What if the changes he tries to make in the kitchen don't suit the kitchen staff very well?" she stated.
"I understand your concerns but we'll humor him while he's here," Abe replied, "Once he's gone, business as usual."
There were some grumbles between the kitchen staff but overall they agreed with everything Debbie stated, she had earned the trust and loyalty of the kitchen staff as well. That evening him and his camera crew began setting up just as Jack arrived. He and Debbie had only just started dating but he agreed to volunteer at the restaurant just to be around her. Even with Gordon Rams getting ready in the dining hall, she decided to introduce Jack.
"Everyone, this is Jack Howlings, my boyfriend. He's a teacher at Crystal Springs Academy," she introduced happily.
"Um hello," Jack replied to the chefs nervously.
"He's a bit shy, but he's a sweet guy," Debbie sighed.
"I thought this was a restaurant, not a kindergarden!" Gorden shouted as he came in.
"Jack has volunteered to help us out tonight since one of our waiters has called in sick," Debbie explained calmly.
Gordon took a look at the obviously nervous Jack.
"This guy? He looks like a twit," the ram stated.
"It doesn't matter what he looks like as long as he can get the work done," Debbie retorted.
The ram stared her down for a few minutes, he'd faced a great many spirited individuals like her before but something about her told him that in some ways this was going to be an easy battle and in other ways she would be the greatest challenge of his career.
"Don't get uppity with me you little upstart. You're a long way out of your league," he replied.
"Don't try to intimidate me. You're a long way from your own kitchen, so keep your biases out of mine!" she retorted, "I don't care that your famous or that you think your hot shit because of it! I won't stand for you bullying me or my cooks in my kitchen! Go ahead push me, I'll throw you out on your pompous ass myself!"
"Unstoppable force and immovable object," Jack thought, "And the gorgeous and insane vixen I happen to be dating is the unstoppable force."
"Customers are here, Deb, let's get started!" the tiger waitress, Betty, informed.
"Got it! Alright, to your positions! You all know where to be! Let's get started!" she ordered.
The cooks took their places and Jack started washing dishes as quickly as he could. Not long after starting, Debbie could see that he cooks were slipping.
"Forget the walking hairball! Raise up your voices and follow my lead!" she shouted. "Another night in any town, you can hear the thunder of their cry. Ahead of their time," she began.
"They wonder why. Only the young can say. They're free to fly away. Sharing the same desire, burning like wildfire," Jack continued.
As they sang, they began to work faster and more efficiently. The waitstaff didn't seem bothered and even picked up their pace as well. Since Debbie had taken over as assistant manager and head chef, the other cooks had learned her habits and adopted the most well-known of her habits to theirs. Singing while working produced amazing results amongst her kitchen staff. Normally, something like this wouldn't have been interrupted but normally their restaurant wasn't host to a moody and egotistical celebrity chef who thinks he's some form of drill instructor.
"Stop it! Stop it right now! This is a kitchen, not a broadway stage!" he shouted.
"Stuff it in your ear! This helps my cooks concentrate!" Debbie retorted.
"I've had enough of your attitude problem, Wilde! This is my show!" he countered.
"And this is MY kitchen! I didn't even want your pretentious ass here! And while we're on the subject of things we've had enough of, I've had all I can take of your ego!" she returned.
"Your mouth just got you fired, get out!" he replied.
Debbie looked at Abe.
"Sorry, technically he does have the authority. My hands are tied," Abe apologized.
Debbie gave him an understanding look and just nodded.
"Don't ignore me!" Gordon shouted.
At that Debbie picked up the bowl of crawfish atouffe and shoved it in his face.
"Shove it in your EAR!" she shouted back.
At that she resumed her song as she took off her apron and stormed out. Following that, the rest of the chefs just stared.
"What're you all standing around gawking for!? Get back to work!" he lectured.
Jack took off the apron he was wearing and headed to the exit.
"Where do you think you're going? Get back to your station!" Gordon shouted after him.
"I only volunteered here because my girlfriend used to work here. No reason for me to be here now," he replied calmly.
Leafarna was next, she took off her apron and threw it at the easily agitated sheep.
"I quit!" she replied sternly.
"Get back to your station and keep cooking! There's food to prepare!" he told her.
"Then make it yourself!" she replied.
Ted, the jackrabbit, was next. He said nothing to Gordon as he passed by.
"Sorry Abe, I just can't work here without Deb. She brings this place to life," he replied as he walked out.
A raccoon everone there only knew as Nana left next.
"Sorry Abe. Debbie brings out the best in us, without her, I don't think I can keep goin'," she apologized.
One by one, the rest of the cooks followed. Tabitha and Frank grunted their disppointment then left without a word. Betty had left already, following Debbie right out the door. Realizing that they weren't getting their food the customers demanded their money back and Abe obliged. The poor old goat had never felt so ashamed.
"Mr. Rams, this evening has been a complete disaster. Your agent informed me that you would improve the stability and income of my restaurant, instead you fire my golden girl and single-handedly costed me my entire staff. So while I still have a restaurant to my name and while I'm still here, I have only one thing to say to you and your TV crew. Get out of my restaurant!" Abe lamented.
"Mr. Cliffside-..." he began.
"I don't wanna' hear what you have to say! This restaurant is still in my name! So I want you and your mindless drones off my property!" Abe shouted, "Do you have any concept of how embarrassed and humiliated I feel?! You costed me my entire staff! My ENTIRE STAFF! And all of my customers for the evening! Get out!"
Once the TV crew was gone, Abe went back to his office and put his head on his desk. Alex stayed the night with Debbie, uncertain about leaving her to herself.
"Debbie, sweetie, wake up! I have a surprise for you!" he announced.
She got out of bed feeling tired and depressed. He got her into his new car, a civilian model of the "bull squadcars" used by the police. He pulled into a stripcenter that had a derelict furnature warehouse. Hanging up on the door there was a sign, "Future home of Wilde and Howlings' Food-topia". Debbie smiled and tears formed in her eyes.
"You sweet, magnificent wolf! I love you!" she shouted.
She shouted this emotional outburst jumping on him and kissing him.
"I have one more surprise for you. I know we haven't been dating for long and nobody will understand but I really think you're the one for me," he told her.
He got down on one knee and held a box to her. Debbie was so surprised she could barely talk.
"Of-of course I will! But not right away. We need to give this more relationship more time," she stated.
Debbie was much calmer now.
"I knew you'd like this. I pulled out a loan, pulled out a lease on the building, and hired some contractors. They're working on the inside right now. Shall we head in and take a look at their progress?" Jack explained.
Debbie nodded and clung to his arm. Inside the building, the contractors had been working quite fast but currently they were on break. There was an arm wrestling competition between a boar and a bengal tiger.
"Hey fella's who's winnin'?" Jack asked.
"Mr. Howlings, we weren't expecting you to check on us. If I'd have known you were coming I wouldn't have let these lazy slobs take their break," a rather muscular hedgehog stated.
"Don't worry about it, I don't need to see them working to know they're working hard. I just brought Debbie to check on progress," Jack replied.
"The place is comin' together nicely, you should be able to open in about a month or so," the hedgehog replied.
"Why so quickly?" Debbie asked.
"Mostly 'cause the building's in solid condition. The wiring and pluming's intact too," the hedgehog answered.
Debbie called up the other cooks and waitstaff and even called Abe. She got all of them and herself temporary work at Wild Times while the work on the Food-topia building was being done. Eventually, she decided Food-topia was a lame name for a restaurant and called it the Singing Chateau. The month came and passed rather quickly and opening night her family was in attendance. To her disappointment only Nick and Daniel didn't show. She looked around at her staff in the newly furnished kitchen, they wore bright smiles and their eyes were filled with an eager energy.
"Let's get to work! We have hungry customers! Raise up your voices and follow my lead!" she commanded.
At the time of her reunion with her little brother, the Singing Chateau had already been open for roughly five years. During these years, her and Jack moved into a studio apartment nearby and got married a few months after that. Once again she was disappointed to see the her little brother had not been there but refused to allow that to spoil her occassion, especially since she got to meet her older brother's girlfriend.
