It's control. He controls. He's controlling. He controls me. He's controlling us all.
It's all in the name of good food. That makes it better. For the guides. There is no other way. The extra work matters. A break would be a waste of their time. They should be busy. They need to keep busy.
We don't say anything to him. It's the elephant in the room. He is the elephant in the room. He knows what he's doing. He knows we know. He knows we won't say anything. We all pretend. We all play the game.
The door isn't locked. They can leave anytime. They need me to push them. To teach them. They need the badge. They are getting stronger. They'll come back tomorrow.
We're on top of it all. Lull before service. Prep done. Ready to go. We could be outside in the sun. In the fresh air. But the spaces in time have been filled up. By him. With a job that nobody wants. Nobody needs. The customers won’t notice. And here we are. In silence. In the kitchen. Furious. Peeling Walnuts……….