Chapter 4: Early mornings.
"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever."
Alfred Lord Tennyson-
The six year old ran through the corridors, shouting one name: Minho.
He needed to find his best friend right now because he had the best news for him, but the older was nowhere to be found.
He opened doors and doors to empty rooms, circled the garden and looked under the dinning hall's enormous tables just in case. He screamed through the windows and asked about Minho's whereabouts to everyone he saw.
Jina noona was who finally gave him an answer. "He's with Aera Noona, Jisunggie. I think Minmin's in a meeting right now, so wait here with me until he comes out, okay?"
But Jisung refused to do as he was told, running off to wait right in front of the meeting room's door. He bounced up and down, excited and full with pure adrenaline. He basically couldn't sit still to save his life, so after half an hour of patiently waiting for Minho, he started to get worried that his friend wouldn't come out.
It was a bit weird that Minho was in the meeting room now that he thought about it, he never had those unlike Jisung and the other kids, so the young boy started worrying that Jina noona had lied to him like how she did a year ago with the thing about his mommy and daddy.
Thankfully, all his concerns went away when the door opened and a pair of tall adults, a man and a woman, left the room with a sigh. His mind filled again with the big news.
As soon as he saw Minho come out a few minutes after the adults, head low and frown settled deep in his features, Jisung launched forward and hugged him really, really tight, swaying him from side to side and squealing. He didn't see Minho's expression, he was too excited and too young to pay attention at such things.
"You won't believe what happened, Min!" he beamed. "I got into school!"
He tightened his grip on Minho, but there was no reaction from the older. He didn't hug back, he didn't say a word.
When Jisung noticed, he felt his friend shaking in his arms. A hand settled on his shoulder. Aera Noona was pulling him away from Minho.
And Minho was unmistakably crying.
Jisung froze, his little heart breaking in his chest at a sight he never had to witness before. "Sunggie, Minmin right now needs a little time alone, honey." Noona had crouched down to his level.
Minho sobbed next to them, wiping his own tears messily. He had started crying loudly and Jisung's frown deepened. What was wrong with his Min?
Registering Noona's words slowly, he shook his head. He didn't want to leave Minho alone when the boy was like that. Aera sighed. "Jisung, please, go back to the garden and play with the rest."
"No! What happened? Min, why are you crying?" his own eyes were starting to well up too.
With the weakest voice possible, Minho said "Jisunggie, I'm really happy that you're going to school." then, he started walking off and the younger could see how his back shaked with every sob.
Aera Noona followed him and soon Jisung was alone again, confused and worried. He was just six, so crying was the only way he found to express the complicated emotions swirling around his head.
Jina found him and took him back to play with the rest of the kids, but he spent the rest of the day crying and no one managed to make him stop.
That night he didn't sleep cuddling Minho. The older never came to the common bedrooms.
●●●●●
The morning is going well. Chan's worries aren't becoming real.
I can hear Felix taking someone's order while I go with a tray filled with coffees to another table.
"Sir, excuse me the question, but are you enjoying the music playing?" he asks. A smile appears on my lips. We've been doing that since the first customer arrived, promoting Chan from the shadows.
Before leaving the orders in their respective tables, I stop by Felix. "The guy from the counter produces them by himself, recording and everything. If you like what you hear, he's CB ninety seven on Spotify!"
With that, I go to fullfil my tasks. Chan is oblivious to all of this.
Felix and I just want to give him a little push.
With a now empty tray, I go back to the counter where my elder's preparing coffees and toasts, plating cookies and cakes. He looks really happy.
"We're hella packed today." he tells me. I agree, we haven't had this much customers in a while.
I fill two more trays with orders. "I know. A lot of people is listening to your music, Chan." I tease him. He gets red easily. "When you become a famous singer and songwriter, don't forget about good ol' Minho."
"And his brother Felix!" a deep voice chimes in. Chan thinks we're brothers and by now Felix and I both have gotten used to referring to each other like so at work. At first it was so difficult.
"I'll fire you if you keep talking." the older speaks, still busy with food and drinks.
Felix laughs then pats my shoulder. "Leave these trays to me, I'm tired of taking orders." I nod and he gives the little notebook we use to write down everything. "The family sitting at table five needs you, soldier."
He leaves with the orders I prepared. His amazing memory probably allows him to know exactly what is for who without even having to look at the papers Chan has neatly written with the table numbers and the order that corresponds to each table.
I sigh, already tired. Felix usually takes orders, he's the social butterfly of the three of us.
"Good luck." Chan gives me a look of sympathy and I smile. "I'll switch with you later if you want, okay?"
I nod and leave. Table five is probably mad that no waiter has come by to take their orders by now and even if I would say they can keep waiting, the truth is I'm kind of feeling guilty. That's why I rush to them.
There's a smiling woman, pregnant, happily talking with a boy in front of her. I can only see his brunette hair from behind, it bobbs as he laughes. A man sits next to her. Their fingers are interwined and I realized that they're probably a happy family that came to spend the morning together.
The usual guilt that would consume me whenever happy families were around is barely there anymore and I'm thankful for that, knowing I would have been extra rude to innocent people in a Saturday morning.
When I stop in front of their table, my gaze falls on the woman first. The waiter code here requires you to introduce yourself before you take orders, so I mentally prepare to do just that. "Good morning, I'm Minho, what would you like to have?"
As my eyes wander around them, they can't help but stop on the boy. I couldn't see him before, but now that he's right in front of me, dread fills my stomach as I realize those puffy cheeks belong to one person and one person only.
I think he's recognized me too. His eyes scan me and his mouth is slightly agape. Jisung is just as shocked as I am.
"Excuse me?" the voice of the woman brings me back to the café, out of my trance.
I bow, apologizing, but when I get up the notebook slips and falls to the floor. Without really thinking, I bend down to get it.
Jisung and I headbump and it hurts.
Everything is going in circles around me, I lost sense of where I am. My heart beats too fast inside my chest.
Suddenly, a pair of arms are hugging me tight but I don't react.