Chef Rupert sat at the table staring into his coffee cup. He looked up when Ellen snuck into the room while looking around nervously. He cleared his throat and watched the woman jump two feet in the air. He asked, "What's the matter?"
"Is he here?" Ellen asked.
"No," Chef Rupert answered. He didn't need to ask about whom she was referring.
"Good," Ellen said. She went over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. She returned to the table and took a seat. She stared into her cup.
Chef Rupert looked down at his cup of coffee. He sighed. He looked up when Molly snuck into the room. He cleared his throat and watched the woman jump two feet in the air. He asked, "What's the matter?"
"Is he here?" Molly asked.
"No," Chef Rupert said.
"Good," Molly said. She went over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. She returned to the table and took a seat. She stared into her cup.
"I had a nightmare last night," Molly said.
"I had one too," Chef Rupert said.
"Same here," Ellen said.
"I dreamt that Mark feed me," Molly said.
Chef Rupert said, "You think that is bad? I dreamt that I proposed to Mary O'Toole."
"That's nothing. I dreamt that Mark set me up on a date with his Cousin Lucinda," Ellen said.
"Lucinda?" Molly asked.
Ellen said, "I dreamt that I told Mark that I was gay when he started trying to set me up with one of his cousins. Next thing I know he's calling his cousin Lucinda."
Peter Chang walked into the room causing everyone to jump. He said, "Good morning."
"No it isn't," Chef Rupert said.
"I agree," Molly said.
"Ditto," Ellen said.
Peter walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. He said, "By the way Chef, congratulations on your upcoming marriage."
"What?" Chef Rupert asked feeling panicked.
"You proposed to Mary O'Toole last night," Peter said giving the chef funny look.
"I was hoping that was a nightmare," Chef Rupert said despondently. He stared into his coffee.
"Sorry. Molly, I've got to tell you that I've never seen anything like you and Mark last night," Peter said. "I thought you didn't like him."
"I was hoping last night was a nightmare," Molly said.
Mark stuck his head through the kitchen door and said, "Good morning everyone."
"Good morning, Mark. Are you ready to go shopping for today's assignment?" Peter replied.
"Yes. Just give me a minute to give the wife-to-be a good morning kiss," Mark said.
"Don't," Molly said. He was entirely too cheerful this morning.
Mark went over to Molly and kissed her neck. Unable to stop herself, she leaned her head to the side and sighed. He said, "I can't wait to wake up with you next to me in bed."
Shaking her head as if to cast off a spell, she said, "I hate you."
"No you don't," Mark said with a smile. He ran a hand along her jaw line eliciting a purr from her.
"I don't know anything anymore," Molly said with a whimper.
"By the way, Cousin Lucinda will be here tonight," Mark said looking over at Ellen.
"I'm not gay," Ellen said in protest.
"We'll let Cousin Lucinda sort that out," Mark said. He winked at her and added, "I guess you're still in the closet."
"I'm not in the closet," Ellen said on the verge of hysteria. She looked around wildly and spotted Peter drinking his coffee. She said, "Peter and I are lovers."
Peter sprayed coffee over half the room. Setting his coffee cup down and trying to wipe the coffee off his shirt, he asked, "We are?"
"You are?" Mark asked. He looked over at Peter for an answer. The poor guy looked like he had just noticed that an eighteen wheeler was about to run over him.
"Yes, we are," Ellen said thinking that a little more proof was required. She jumped out of her chair and flew over to Peter. She wrapped her arms around the poor guy and kissed him.
"Oh my," Peter said wide-eyed.
"I'm going to have his baby," Ellen said wanting to make sure that Mark backed off.
"My wife is not going to be happy about this," Peter said. He could just imagine his wife's reaction to this conversation.
"We're a threesome," Ellen said grabbing onto Peter's arm.
"Really?" Mark asked. He noticed that Peter was shaking his head in denial.
"Definitely," Ellen said.
"Interesting," Mark said. He looked over at Peter and asked, "Are you ready to go shopping? We've got a special cheese dinner to put together."
"Yes," Peter said wanting to get out of the room.
Molly watched the two men leave. She sighed and said, "We had better get shopping."
Ellen said, "You're right."
Molly looked over at Chef Rupert and asked, "Are you okay?"
"No," Chef Rupert answered. "I really thought it was a nightmare."
"I know how you feel," Molly said. "At least we're going to show Mark what we can do in the kitchen with the dinner tonight."
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrg! I'm going to kill him!"
"Interesting reaction," Mark commented.
Peter looked at the meal in front of Molly and then said, "This is a most unexpected result."
Mark was surprised by the fact that the meal he had prepared was identical in every way with the meal she had prepared. Mark said, "Great minds think alike."
"I'm going to fail," Ellen said. Tears were threatening to run.
"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you," Molly shouted.
"No you don't," Mark said. He leaned over to Peter and said, "Look at that passion."
"I'm going to filet you and serve you with Béarnaise Sauce," Molly said.
"She really sounds like an O'Toole wife-to-be," Mark said.
Chef Rupert looked at the two presentations feeling a headache coming on. This had never happened in the history of the school and he wasn't sure how to proceed. He turned to the panel of judges and asked, "What do we do?"
"We judge," Chef Smith answered.
"What about the originality score?" Chef Jones asked.
"I don't know," Chef Smith answered. He looked at the two menus and said, "Chinese food made with cheese. It has to be original."
"I would have never come up with that," Chef Jones said.
"I've never heard of Won Ton Soup Au Gratin and now there are two examples of it in front of me."
"That is a problem," Chef Jones said.
Chef Smith asked, "Was there any collaboration between the two teams?"
"No," Ellen answered.
"None," Peter said.
Chef Jones frowned and then asked, "Are there any personal relations between any of you?"
"Molly and I are going to get married," Mark answered.
"No we're not," Molly said.
"She's gorgeous and I'm handsome. It is a match dictated by heaven."
"Be quiet," Molly growled.
Mark said, "According to Ellen she's in a threesome with Peter and his wife."
"That's right," Ellen said. She had seen Mark greet a woman outside of the school. She assumed the woman was the infamous Cousin Lucinda.
"No we're not," Peter said.
Chef Jones looked at the two menus again. He couldn't believe that they were identical. He read the names and exclaimed, "Mark O'Toole!"
"Yes?" Mark replied.
"No wonder. Things always get complicated when an O'Toole is involved," Chef Smith said. He threw the menu on the table.
"I wouldn't say that," Mark said.
Chef Wilson had been silent until now. He said, "We rate the creations of the other students and have the two teams repeat the contest with some other ingredient."
"May I suggest that the ingredient be O'Toole," Molly said while glaring at Mark. "I know a good recipe for Haggis O'Toole."
"You have to admit that she's creative in the kitchen," Mark said.
"That's true," Peter said.
Chef Rupert said, "I'm going to suggest that one of us has to approve their menu before they get the ingredients."
"That's a good suggestion," Chef Smith said.
"I agree," Chef Jones said.
Chef Wilson said, "Then it is agreed. The two teams will repeat the contest but will have to clear their menus with Chef Rupert."
"Thank God," Ellen said relieved that her score wouldn't be lowered for lack of originality.
Chef Smith said, "I am going to suggest that we try out their dishes. I'm very curious about the use of cheese in Chinese food."
Peter sat in one corner of the room putting as much distance from Ellen as possible. Molly sat in another corner of the room putting as much distance from Mark as possible. Giving Ellen at great big smile, Mark said, "Cousin Lucinda is here."
"I don't want to meet Cousin Lucinda," Ellen said nervously.
Looking over at Ellen, Peter said, "I do."
"Why?" Molly asked looking over at Peter curious about his reasoning.
"Losing a girlfriend to another woman will give my wife something to laugh about while she's killing me," Peter answered.
"That's a good one," Mark said while laughing.
"I was serious," Peter replied just as a young woman entered the room.
"Cousin Lucinda."
"Cousin Mark."
"How are you doing?"
"Great. I heard you found a wife," Lucinda said.
"I'm not marrying him," Molly said. She hoped that if she said that often enough that someone would finally believe her.
"This is Molly," Mark said.
"She's cute. Nice figure. I can see why you want her," Lucinda said. She turned to look at Ellen and burst out laughing. She said, "You look like the last chicken in the coup with a fox."
"I'm straight," Ellen said.
Lucinda doubled over in laughter. She said, "I see that Cousin Mark has been having a little fun."
"You're not here to marry me?" Ellen asked. She almost sounded disappointed.
"No. I'm one of the judges for tomorrow's assignment," Lucinda answered. She went over to Mark and gave him a little tap on the side of the head. "You have been having entirely too much fun."
"You should have seen her when I mentioned Cousin Sid," Mark said.
"I can imagine," Lucinda said.
Chef Rupert entered the room and nodded his head at Lucinda. He said, "I see that you're here for tomorrow's event."
"I thought I would swing by early and say hello to my cousin and his wife-to-be," Lucinda said.
"I'm not going to marry him," Molly said afraid that the event they were discussing involved the exchange of marriage vows.
"She sounds like the bride-to-be of an O'Toole," Lucinda said.
"Won't someone in that stupid family believe me?" Molly said in frustration.
Lucinda turned to Chef Rupert and said, "By the way, congratulations on your engagement with Cousin Mary. Welcome to the Donaldson family."
"I don't remember last night," Chef Rupert said. That wasn't exactly true. He remembered bits and pieces of it.
"I heard all about it. I heard you did it three times in one evening. You're quite the stud," Lucinda said. She leaned over and checked out his crotch.
"You should have heard the noises coming out of the pantry," Mark said.
"Cousin Mary has always been a little vocal," Lucinda said.
"She was really screaming last night. I was afraid that her screams were going to shatter the crystal glasses," Mark said.
"Way to go Chef Rupert," Lucinda said looking over at him with appreciation.
"I don't remember a thing," Chef Rupert said.
Mark asked, "What is the assignment for tomorrow?"
"Dessert," Chef Rupert answered. "Each team is to create an assortment of six different desserts."
"Excellent," Peter said. He had several different dessert recipes that he thought were the best around.
Chef Rupert looked at Molly and then at Mark. He said, "Due to the fact that you two keep coming up with the same dishes, we decided to change the teams around."
With a sense of impending doom, Molly asked, "Changed them around how?"
"You and Mark are one team. Peter and Ellen will team with each other," Chef Rupert answered.
"That is good news," Mark said.
"That's a disaster," Molly said staring at Mark in horror. She didn't know how she would survive a day in the kitchen with him.
"Maybe we can do some crepes," Mark said wiggling his eyebrows.
"No way," Molly declared. She had been warned about fixing crepes in the kitchen with an O'Toole.
Lucinda said, "Speaking of crepes, did you hear about Cousin Chuck and his wife-to-be, Victoria?"
"Victoria is here," Mark said.
Lucinda laughed and said, "I've got to see what she looks like. I heard that they were found on the kitchen floor completely covered in chocolate sauce without a stitch of clothing to be found anywhere in the room. She was riding him cowgirl style and comparing his dick to a zucchini."
"I hadn't heard that. She was a little short on details when I talked with her last night," Mark said.
Lucinda shook her head and said, "I guess I was wrong about Cousin Chuck. I always thought that he was a little inhibited."
"You can't be a cook and be inhibited," Mark said.
Peter said, "Yes, you can."
"Definitely, you can," Molly said. The idea of getting caught in the act of sex in the middle of the kitchen terrified her.
"I agree," Chef Rupert said.
"Listen to Mr. Three Times In the Pantry," Lucinda said with a laugh.
"I'm never going to live that down," Chef Rupert said with a sigh.
Puzzled by the comment, Mark asked, "Who would want to?"
"I have no idea," Lucinda answered.
Peter looked at Ellen and said, "I think we should start planning our desserts for tomorrow."
"Good idea. It is getting a little thick in here," Ellen said. She headed towards the door without waiting to see if Peter was following her. He was.
"Maybe we can get your wife down here so that the three of you can have a little fun tomorrow," Mark said to Peter's retreating back.
"Arg!"
"My wife is going to kill me."
"That was cruel," Lucinda said with a laugh.
"Speaking of cruel and unusual punishments, maybe we ought to start planning the dessert menu," Molly said. She wasn't looking forward to this at all.