She went back upstairs to the apartment and looked around to see if she could find anything else. So as she was walking in the hallways of the apartment, she came across a basement like door that could be open if you lifted it. So Ivy was curious of what was up there. She grabbed a chair nearby and stood on it to open the door.

Ivy went through the door when she opened it and there was a basement room with a peak of the sky. Ivy took a walk around the room to see what was stored in it.

She came across a secret box that was covered in dust. She kneeled down to open it and there was so much things in it. There was like family recipes, family photos of seemed to be like Charlie's, and certificates of cooking competitions around the world. She was impressed and surprised to see what that box had.

As Ivy was putting her hand on the edge of the box, she looked up around the room again. She suddenly came across a shiny object from afar and that lead her there. She walked over and nothing but a reflection of the light of the sky from above. She looked up at the ceiling and saw how beautiful the sky was. There was a little glass door slit that opened from the inside on the side which lead her outside on the rooftop.

It was nothing she had seen before. She walked out to the rooftop and saw the entire city filled with beautiful lights. She took in a deep breath and was relieved of everything she has been through. Ivy wanted to take this time to relax and seize the moment. She basically spent the entire night up there by herself.

As time passes by, it was already [10PM] and it was time for the restaurant to close. Ben and Jason finished serving the customers and closed up the shop. Charlie was finishing cleaning up the kitchen while William and Ben cleaned up the tables and chairs. Jason was by the cashier machine counting the money. After a while, Charlie came out to see the guys finished with their job at the front. Like always, Charlie made an announcement for the guys before letting them go home for the day.

Charlie : its been a long day. good job guys.
William : we can go now right ?
Charlie : yeah.
Ben (*says to Jason) : Jason. Ivy made you some of her homemade spagetti earlier.
Ben : she wanted me to tell you so you could take it home to eat.
William : what about me ?
Ben : she said she made left overs and its still in the fridge.
Jason (*giggles & says) : thanks. where did you put it ?
Ben : its on the bar counter. take it before you leave.
Jason : alright.

Jason went to see the container in the bag on that bar counter while the guys were talking. She took out the container and took the first bite of the spaghetti.

Charlie (*asks Ben) : did she really make it ?
Ben : yeah. it was delicious. it reminded me of my mom's homemade recipe.
Ben : it really took me back to my childhood with that first bite.
William : come on. lets be real. it cant be that great.
Ben : try it for yourself.
Jason (*says as standing behind the counter) : guys. this spaghetti is no joke.
Jason : i cant believe im saying this but its seriously delicious.
Ben : i told you. its not just spaghetti, its like love.
Jason (*says to Charlie & William) : maybe you two should ask Ivy for the recipe.
Charlie : why ?
Jason : so you could sell it to the customers.
William : Jason does have a good point. nobody has eaten our spaghetti before.
William : if we changed it then people would want to come back here. it'll be big.
Ben : you guys do have a point.
Ben (*says to Charlie) : you did say that you wanted to expand your restaurant.
Ben : why dont you ask her ?
Charlie : im going to do this my way. dont worry about it.
Ben : well, im going to get going now. i'll see you guys tomorrow morning.

Ben walked out of the restaurant to go home. Jason finishes the spaghetti and puts the empty container back into the bag. Then he walked in front of Charlie and William to say goodbye.

Jason : i'm leaving too.
Jason (*says to Charlie) : can you give back the container to Ivy for me ?
Charlie : sure.
Jason : i'll see you guys tomorrow too. bye.

That left Jason out of the restaurant leaving to go home. William stood there talking to Charlie about something before he had to go home too.

William : Charlie.
Charlie : what ?
William : Ivy couldnt find a job today. she went everywhere and nothing came up.
William : i wanted to get your approval on letting her work here in the meantime.
William : she really needs this job so she could pay rent.
Charlie : i'll talk to her about it tonight.
William : go easy on her. its been a long day for her.
Charlie : sure. you should go home.
William : alright. i'll see you tomorrow.
Charlie : dont be late to work.
William : as much as i want to, i cant.
Charlie : what is that suppose to mean ?
William : nothing. bye.

William had already left home. Charlie went to the door and locked it safely. Then he turned off the lights and went upstairs to the apartment. As he came up, he saw Ivy sitting on the table in the kitchen drawing in her notebook. He took a seat in front of her and wanted to talk to her about the job at the restaurant.

Charlie : what are you doing ?
Ivy : just sketching in my notebook.

Charlie sat there in silence looking at Ivy draw. Ivy could feel that Charlie was looking at her so she looked up, closed her sketch notebook, and asked him.

Ivy : It seems like you want to say something to me.
Charlie (*looks up at Ivy & says) : yeah. i wanted to talk to you about something.
Ivy : what about ?
Charlie : Will told me that you couldnt find a job in the city today.
Charlie : he wanted me to accept you to work as a waitress at the restaurant downstairs.
Charlie : why didnt you come to me instead of making Will come talk to me ?
Ivy : i insisted of asking you myself since im the one who wanted the job.
Ivy : but Will wanted to help me out so i let him.
Ivy : im sorry i didnt go to you and ask. you were so busy with work all day.
Ivy : i didnt want to interrupt you in your work.
Charlie : well, i thought about it.
Charlie : i'll let you work at the restaurant but you have to go through an interview
Charlie : just like everybody else.
Ivy : i understand.
Charlie : there is training involved. have you ever worked as a waitress before ?
Ivy : yes, i have at a local diner in Florida when i was living there.
Charlie : its the same process so you dont need to worry.
Ivy : how do i get paid ?
Charlie : you get paid every month from the day your start working.
Charlie : i'll give you your paycheck every month and its your responsibility to pay rent on time.
Ivy : i understand.
Charlie : uniforms are simple.
Charlie : you must wear a white collar shirt with black pants and a pair of comfortable shoes.
Charlie : you can do anything to your hair. simple.
Ivy : i know.
Charlie : do you have a resume on hand ?
Ivy : yes i do.
Charlie : bring it tomorrow morning when you have your interview with your uniform.
Charlie : meet me downstairs at 9:30AM sharp.
Ivy : yes i know.
Ivy : can i ask you something ?
Charlie : what ?
Ivy : i was wondering if you and i could address each other as just Ivy and Charlie at home.
Ivy : but address ourselves at work as boss and employee.
Charlie : why ?
Ivy : because i feel like its not necessary for me to address you as my boss 24/7.
Ivy : is that okay ? if its not, i completely understand.
Charlie : i have no problem with that. if you want that then fine.
Ivy : thank you Charlie.
Charlie : your welcome.
Ivy : i know its been a long day for you at work.
Ivy : i made some spaghetti earlier and there was a lot left.
Ivy : you should eat it before going to bed.
Charlie : alright.
Ivy : im off to bed. good night Charlie.
Charlie : night.

Ivy went to her room and closed the door while Charlie was still in the kitchen wandering around. Ivy was changing into her pajamas and washing her face in the restroom of her room. Then she went to her bed and turned off the light to sleep.

Charlie was still in the kitchen putting away washed dishes in the cabinets. He remembered what Ivy said to him earlier and went into the fridge to see the spaghetti. He was curious of how good the spaghetti tasted because the guys said it was delicious. He took out the container from the fridge and put it on the counter. He grabbed a bowl and a fork from the cabinet and poured himself a little of the spaghetti into the bowl. He put the rest of the container back into the fridge and sat down on the table in the kitchen with the bowl in front of him.

He kept on looking at it and then took that first bite of spaghetti using his fork. As he finished that first bite, he was amazed on how delicious it was. Charlie knew that something has to be done if he wants his restaurant to succeed and have more customers.

So he just closed the container and continued on with his night.

Notes