Chapter 255: Overcoming their silent fears

[FLASHBACK]

Sniffles and hiccups echoed in the empty closed restaurant, causing the veins in Jessa’s forehead to protrude.

"That’s it!" Jessa slammed down her glass and snapped at Allison, who had been crying her heart out. "You — why are you crying?!"

Allison had been trying her best not to cry aloud, but she couldn’t help it. She wiped her eyes and looked at Jessa apologetically.

"I’m upset! That’s why!" Allison yelled, her cheeks red from drinking more than she should. "I’m very angry and upset, and it makes me cry! Is that bad?!"

Jessa clicked her tongue. "This crybaby..."

"How can I not cry? It’s so upsetting. Are you not upset?" Allison hiccuped. "You were so close... I hate this feeling. If you’re not crying, then I’ll cry! Let me be!"

Allison shamelessly continued bawling her eyes out for herself and for Jessa.

Today, Jessa had been eliminated in the semi-finals of Master Chef, and Allison couldn’t help but feel upset and cry about it. As for Jessa, she ruffled her hair in irritation before taking another shot of vodka.

"Tss." Jessa huffed and leaned against the table. "Of course, I’m upset."

Allison slowly looked at Jessa. "Then why aren’t you crying?"

"Because you’re already crying!!!" Jessa yelled in irritation. "How can I cry when you’re already crying?"

"Fine... I’ll stop—"

"Forget it." Jessa waved dismissively. "Just cry for me. I don’t want swollen eyes tomorrow."

Allison hiccuped again and pressed her lips into a thin line. When she opened her mouth, the words wouldn’t come out. She was upset and crying, but she knew she also had to console Jessa. If Allison was already this upset about Jessa’s elimination, Jessa herself must have felt even worse.

"I’m okay," Jessa snapped at the crybaby. "I’m not crying because I’m not really... err... I’m not sad about it."

Allison’s brows rose. "Huh? How is that possible?"

Jessa smirked and ran her tongue across her inner cheek, looking away as she pondered. "I didn’t like cooking before, but when that piglet came into our house — I didn’t like her. But then, she was too pitiful to throw away or put up for adoption."

"My Penny is not a piglet," Allison complained pitifully. "She’s... cute."

"The older she got, the bigger her appetite became. She would eat everything; it was amazing, actually. So, somehow, I started looking up recipes. Even if I didn’t like cooking, she’d clean her plate squeaky clean." Jessa furrowed her brows as she recalled the past. "Now that I think about it, your daughter is a monster."

"Can you please stop criticizing my daughter?" Allison frowned, still teary-eyed. "Even if I want to console you, don’t criticize my daughter to console yourself. Please."

"I’m not criticizing her, okay? I’m describing her."

Allison pursed her lips. "That’s even more hurtful."

"My point is, I never liked anything aside from gambling." Jessa cupped her face and snapped her eyes at the crybaby. "Well, actually, I don’t like gambling that much. It’s just that it’s the only thing I could do to take my mind off things. It was my escape, and thus, it became an addiction. It was Penny who pulled me out of that situation."

The corner of her lips curled up into a subtle smile. "Thank you for signing me up for this."

"Huh?"

"I had fun," Jessa expressed. "Getting eliminated sucks, but I had fun overall. If you hadn’t forced me into it, I wouldn’t have wanted to prove myself. Especially at this age, it’s hard to start something new or try to achieve something, you know?"

Jessa might be a tigress who often scared a lot of people with just a raised brow. She was a fearless woman in most people’s eyes. However, what others didn’t know was that despite their opinions about her, Jessa had her fears: one of them was trying something new or challenging herself to become someone more.

If not for Allison choosing to live recklessly, Jessa wouldn’t have experienced something so... new. If not for this opportunity Allison created for her, or for Allison’s unwavering support, Jessa wouldn’t have been able to overcome this silent fear.

"I appreciate it." The smile on Jessa’s face was brief, but it looked kind.

It looked kinder because she always had this fierce look by default. Seeing this, Allison’s heart warmed up, and she nodded.

"I’m also scared... just like you," Allison expressed. "But I’m glad it turned out to be a good experience for both of us."

"How is it a good experience for you when you’re always on the sidelines?"

Allison chuckled despite the lingering tears in the corners of her eyes. "Even if I wasn’t the one in the contest, I felt all the emotions while watching. It was inspiring. Hehe."

"Don’t worry." Jessa looked around the empty restaurant Allison had rented from a friend. "Someday, I’ll have something like this. I’ve failed far too many times, so this is just one of them."

Allison and Jessa looked around the restaurant in silence before Allison blurted out, "Should we start a restaurant?"

"Huh?"

"Jessa, should we start a restaurant together?"

"I got eliminated. I didn’t go deaf — I heard you the first time, Allison. The ’huh?’ was for ’Are you crazy?’"

"You are a Master Chef semi-finalist, and I am... I have the money." Allison pointed at Jessa, then at herself. "I can ask my husband to help manage. I’ll handle the administration, and you take over the kitchen. A Master Chef contestant as a chef will surely bring in customers."

Jessa laughed. "You’re drunk."

"No... I’m not..." Allison trailed off and laughed. "I guess I am. Hahaha! How can I even manage a business? I’m just a housewife."

"Right? We’re just housewives!" Jessa laughed even louder.

Both of them laughed and laughed until their stomachs hurt. But before they knew it, they were standing in front of the restaurant established by two middle-aged women seeking to be someone more, aside from being mothers to their children.

Who said mothers and housewives could never have another career?