Part 1 – Woven Fates

19th Feb 2020, Panjim, Goa.
Karan headed towards his office in a hurry as he was running late. Of course, this was rare, as punctuality was one of his virtues. Likewise, his co-workers appreciated his work culture, as he was a man of no excuses.
At 30, he had accomplished quite a lot. A head chef at Hotel Creative Appetite, Karan discovered his flair for cooking at a young age. He worked very hard and thus achieved tremendous success in this field. In fact, many famous chefs appreciated his straight-to-the-face opinions and the ruthless honesty he carried in his generous heart.
“Good morning, sir.”
His assistant Martha greeted him with her radiant smile.

“What are today’s plans?”,

Karan asked her curiously.
“It’s quite a packed day, sir. Twelve bakers are bringing along their cake samples for approval, and later, it’s your meeting with journalist Tom.”
“Alright then. I am heading towards the kitchen. Please update me regarding the bakers’ arrival. Have a lovely morning, Martha.”
Without delay, Karan disappeared towards the first love of his life, the kitchen, leaving a smile on her lips.

“So Karan, I am sure your questionnaire is ready for the bakers. Give them some air to breathe, alright?” Robin Kapoor, the Hotel Manager, asked Karan as he entered the kitchen area. His instruction was in the light of the fact that Karan was very selective regarding the cooks in the hotel.
Karan gave his thumbs up and said, “You will have the best in your team, Robin.”
“As I have you,” Robin said, pointing his index finger towards Karan. Then he smiled at his head chef and left.
Later, Karan met all the bakers one by one. While Karan was not easy to please, the eighth baker on the list did not accept a no by the same token.

Samiksha Sahni is a successful baker with a knack for convincing almost anyone about not only her recipes but also anything that she believes to be true. Known for making some of the best-flavoured cakes in the town, she was adored by everyone she knew. Namely, her orange chocolate cakes were one of the customers’ favourites. She was proud of becoming a successful baker at age 25 and looked forward to the possible association with Hotel Creative Appetite.

Karan was seated

in his vast, brown velvet chair when Samiksha entered with her cake samples.
Just as his dark brown eyes met her light brown ones, she smiled at him without inhibition.
“Good morning Samiksha.”
Karan greeted her with his enigmatic charm.
“Indeed, you can make my morning good by approving my cakes, sir.”
Samiksha’s answer varied from the usual ones of a mere ‘Good morning. ‘

“Well, I loved your confidence. Let’s see what is in your kitchen.”
Karan observed Samiksha as she unboxed her cake and methodically arranged it on the ceramic dish she had carried. Her inspection of the minute details had already impressed Karan. Finally, she presented him her first cake, an orange chocolate pastry. The second on the list was a pineapple truffle.

Karan smelled the pastry,

inhaling the fresh aroma of oranges in the cake. He had a moment to do so, but Samiksha interrupted his thoughts.
“I am sure the aroma has satisfied your sense of smell by now,” she said radiantly.
“Um. It’s good. Let me see if it does the same to my tongue,” he replied with a challenging grin.

Samiksha eyed him with innocent desperation as he cut a pastry slice. She had the virtues of a woman’s charming grace and a child’s unpretentiousness. His expression increased her curiosity.
“Nice, melts in the mouth and . . . what is that extra ingredient? There is something which makes it different from the regular ones.”
Samiksha’s face flashed a bright smile before her lips opened to answer.
“Can you guess?”
“Um. Is it a tinge of some spice?”
Subsequently, she was amused by his inability to guess the ingredient.
“Nutmeg?”
She denied it at once.
“Well, I am curious to know.”

“It’s a secret, actually.

I cannot disclose it. Um. I hope you understand.”
“I do. But Ms. Samiksha, I feel the taste could still be improved.”
“That is fine, sir. If you don’t mind, I will take my leave now. Furthermore, the other bakers are waiting outside. Maybe they stand a chance of getting approved.”
“Your cake is not yet disapproved, Samiksha” Karan was taken aback by her words.
“A cake is either out of this world or an ordinary one.”
“I meant, you can still work on its taste.”
“Sorry, but according to me, it has all that it needs. Indeed, a good dish should make you forget the world around you, making you crave more. Further talks are useless if my cake did not do this for you.”

“The satisfaction of the taste buds

varies from person to person, Samiksha. You should certainly not get offended if someone gives their honest opinion.”
“I agree, but I feel my cake is delicious and satisfies all the senses of whoever savours it.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Absolutely not. Moreover, a stranger cannot hurt your feelings. Besides, it takes a close bond between two people to hurt and to get hurt.”

Samiksha compiled her things without a trace of worry on her face and started to leave.
“It’s okay, Samiksha. Not every day is our day.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, go on.”
“Did my cake make you forget everything else briefly?”
“Yes, but thinking about the market requirements, we need the exceptional and . . . “
“Sorry to interrupt, but I am getting late. I will take my leave, sir. Have a wonderful day ahead.”

Before leaving, she turned around and spoke,
“What satisfies the soul, is irreplaceable.”
Samiksha’s words echoed in Karan Khanna’s head, making the brief encounter with her unforgettable.

Meanwhile, he glanced at the leftover pastry in her dish and smiled.

To be continued . . .

Do comment if you enjoyed reading the first chapter of Woven Fates.