Apocalypse Fighter

Chapter 20 Janet and Lily

In the kitchen, caviar, sea urchin, and Bluefin tuna were being prepared by chefs trained in the hallowed kitchens of Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Paris. Meanwhile, a bill worth sixty thousand dollars was sent to Richard.

“I’m not done ordering yet, just hang on to this for now.” Richard glanced at the bill and gave it back to the waiter.

 “I want this, this, this and…” Richard pointed at the menu. Turning to the waiter, he added, “My wife likes this one. Can I get it for takeaway?”

The waiter was befuddled. What if Richard ran away with food without paying the bill?

Henry followed them quietly. He was also shocked. But he wasn’t afraid that Richard would run away. Instead, he looked forward to seeing it happen. If Richard truly dared to not to pay the bill before Mary and her classmates, Richard would be the laughing stock of the party. There was no way he would be able to shake that off.  

“Please make sure that you prepare everything extra carefully. My wife is a new mother. I can’t let her get sick. You understand me?” Richard said to the waiter. 

“Absolutely, sir. Quality and hygiene guaranteed. We only serve our customers the very best. Our chefs are t­–"

“Fine fine, enough chatter. What about wine?”

“Sure, sir. What would you like?”

“I want the best.”

The waiter was speechless. Richard wanted the very best of everything. Did he really have enough money to pay the bill? 

“Of course, I will send our sommelier’s recommended pairings to 301.”

“Good. Thank you. This is for you. If I need anything else, I will look for you.” Richard thought this young man was so interesting. So, he gave some money to the young waiter.

The waiter didn’t expect that Richard would give him so much money. Being overwhelmed by excitement, he couldn’t utter a word.

Seeing Richard walk to the elevator, he shouted anxiously, “Sir, my name is Tom Harding! You can come to find me if you need any help. My elder sister is Julia Harding. She is a super housekeeper…”

Richard looked at Tom who was waving at him. This young man was truly funny. Why would Tom mention his sister? He didn’t care about that.

Soon, the elevator stopped on the third floor. Walking out of the elevator, Richard heard women chatting in 301. 

“Mary! You are so lucky. You not only have a pretty baby but a gorgeous house, too. You’re living the dream, girl. Tell me your secrets!” 

There was giggling. 

“Yeah, Mary. Tell us how you did it! How does a teacher afford such a beautiful house? It doesn't make sense to me!” 

More laughter.

Six women were gathered around Mary. They were all chatting excitedly, and cooing at little Steven, who was fast asleep in Mary’s arms. Soon, he would wake up and need to be fed. 

“Janet! You and I were Mary’s roommates in college. Don’t you remember Mary’s long and dramatic love story?” A shapely woman with large, almond-shaped eyes and thick eyebrows spoke. “Although some of the richest, spoiled brats in our class had the hots for our Mary, she had never been a materialistic girl! She always wanted a man who loved her. Isn’t that right, Mary? Did I miss anything?” 

The other woman was thin, with a small nose that sat in the middle of her face and long eyelashes. She had large, perky breasts that peaked out of her tight blouse. She pursed her lips and spoke softly, “People can change! Many people change because of money. Lily, you care about love instead of money. Why hasn’t your boyfriend Wayne married you? You’ve been dating him since college!”

“Hey, why are we talking about me? We were talking about Mary! What about you, anyway? Have you had a single boyfriend in the past five years? Not every man loves big breasts. You are not always attractive to men.”

Mary looked at them and sighed. The conversation had quickly turned catty. Why did they always have to go at each other like this, attacking each other’s appearance and attractiveness to men? 

Janet and Lily were her friends. Janet was more realistic and thought there was no good man on earth and only money wouldn’t betray her. Lily put love before everything. She didn’t care about money and was always longing for love like in the fairytales. They were so different when it came to love and reality. 

 “Okay… Stop it, girls. This is supposed to be a reunion party! It’s not the time to quarrel about silly things. My husband was just a teacher. And he lost his job. We’re still looking for job opportunities for him to pursue, and it would be great if you could help out.” Mary stood between them and smiled.

And then she heard Henry’s voice.

“Mary, you are too modest! Does your husband need our help? That is hilarious. I think maybe we all should ask for his help.”

“Henry! Have you ordered the food? We’ve been waiting for so long.” Janet wasn’t a good-tempered woman. 

“Don’t ask me. Ask Richard about that.” Henry smiled and chugged a glass of wine. 

“What happened?” Mary felt her stomach twist. She had a feeling that something bad had happened. 

“Nothing. I just ordered some meals. Maybe Henry thinks I ordered too much…” Richard smiled at said. “Maybe Henry thinks my tastes are too lavish…” Richard winked.