Page 31 of Babydaddy To Go
“Hey,” I respond sharply. “Don’t you dare talk about your fellow student like that.”
“She’s not my fellow student anymore,” Samantha says with a laugh. “I knew from the moment I saw her that she wouldn’t last. I didn’t think she’d quit this quickly, but I’m glad to see her go.”
If this were a cartoon, steam would pour from my ears. “Keep your mouth shut, Samantha. You have no room to talk. Your dough is dry, so your noodles will be dry, too. Yesterday’s dish? It wasn’t even close to perfect. So stop putting down other students and maybe focus on your own shortcomings. There are plenty.”
Samantha stares at me, but my words don’t seem to have the intended effect.
“Whatever,” she says. She grabs the plastic wrap and starts cleaning her station. The rest of the class, who had been watching our interaction intently, follows her lead.
“You can clean up Alyssa’s station, too, thanks to your big mouth.”
Samantha gapes but accepts the punishment. Now that this is settled, I sprint out the door to find Alyssa. She couldn’t have gotten far in the few minutes it took me to hand out orders to the class.
She’s not outside the building, so I run to the subway station. She’s not on the platform for the train back to her apartment. The rear lights of an F train disappear down a tunnel. I probably just missed her!
The next train is less than five minutes away. I hate waiting, but I don’t have much choice. It’ll be faster than sprinting to her apartment. Even with my speed, that would take twice as long as the train, including the wait time.
Finally, the F train arrives and I jump on board. I must look frantic because no one bothers me like they usually do when I’m on public transportation. I recognize the star struck look in a few tourists’ eyes, but they focus on their magazines whenever I look their way. It’s for the better since I’m on a mission. I need to win Alyssa back.
I’m off the train the second the doors open. I take the stairs three at a time to get out of the tunnel and run the two blocks to Alyssa’s apartment.
Her door is closed and all seems quiet. I knock lightly at first and wait. No answer. I knock again, a bit harder this time, and still find the other side still.
Just before I bang on the door a third time, a head pops out of the apartment across the hall.
“Are you here for Alyssa?” the old woman asks.
“Yes, is she in?”
She shakes her head. “Hasn’t been home since this morning. Is she okay?”
“No, no. She’s in my cooking class, and she got a bit overwhelmed. I’m trying to cheer her up.”
It doesn’t seem like Alyssa’s neighbor believes me, but she doesn’t call the police, either. That’s a win in my book.
Outside the apartment, I scour the street hoping to find her, but she’s not there. I could yell her name, but there are probably a few Alyssa’s walking in this neighborhood. I don’t want to confuse anyone.
My only option is to call her. The number is still programmed in my phone. I couldn’t bring myself to delete it, even though I knew I should have.
After three rings, Alyssa answers. “Leave me alone,” she blubbers into the phone.
“Alyssa, I’m so sorry, please talk to me.”
“No,” she says. “I’m not cut out to be a chef. You proved that today. I don’t belong in your class.”
“Alyssa, you’re wrong…”
Before I can finish my statement, she hangs up. Damn it! I nearly throw my phone into the busy street. Then I remember something I heard in the background on Alyssa’s end. It sounded like kids laughing and playing.
I know where she is! She went to Central Park.
On a whim, I jog to the part of the park we spent the most time on that first night together. Sure enough, there she is under an oak tree, hugging her knees to her chest.
“Alyssa,” I say softly. “I’m so sorry.”
“What part of leave me alone don’t you understand?” she shouts. “I’m going back to Maine. This whole cooking thing was a mistake.”
“It wasn’t a mistake, Alyssa,” I say. I settle down on the grass beside her. She doesn’t move closer, but she doesn’t run away, either. “I see a lot of potential in you. You’re probably the most talented chef in the class.”