22st December, 2018
7:00pm
The sun was lowering slowly as I sat on my porch, coffee in one hand and my other beneath my thigh to keep it warm. I took turns to swap hands but soon enough the coffee had warmed me enough so held my cup with both hands comfortably. I liked to stay out here most days, just watching the clouds go by. My neighbourhood was a quiet one of solace, though my Father often said the silence was eerie. I had always found it peaceful out here.
"Noor!"
I snapped my gaze to the front door as my Father stepped out with his bare feet.
"Yes Baba?"
I watched his look of disapproval and thought about what he was upset about. Was the soup I made too bitter?
"Where did you put my shoes, the Oxfords?"
My eyes lifted to the sky in thought of where I could've placed his shoes. He had a work dinner tonight and he had been sure to let me know just so that I could help him pick out an outfit. He said that keeping up appearances was important, even though he hated most his colleagues, this dinner was important for his 'work rep'.
"I put them in the cupboard beneath the stairs, aren't they there?"
"Well if they were, I wouldn't ask you..." he muttered as he turned back around and left the door open.
"Come and find them for me, I don't have time."
I quickly stood up from the swing chair and put down my coffee on the small wooden garden table beside me.
"Coming!"
The house was sparkling clean that day, as I'd spent the whole morning cleaning on the first day of Christmas break. I had been neglecting the house whilst studying and Baba had done all the cleaning he could whilst I was busy. Though admittedly, he couldn't clean very well, he did try and that made me feel guilty for not taking out enough time to help him around the house.
I searched for fifteen minutes to find his shoes, as he taunted me for having put them away in the first place. I apologised and soon found them under the coat rack behind the front door.
"Now I'm late, thank you."
I heard a sigh as he wore his shoes and headed out the door.
Timid and ashamed, I scratched my neck and muttered a goodbye. I hoped his colleagues wouldn't mind his late arrival, or else it would have been my fault.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I let out a deep sigh and headed towards Baba's study, where he kept his laptop. I opened up my email and realised I had gotten a response from the coffee shop I had applied at; Aroma. Quite a fancy name, and I would be lying if I said the name hadn't drawn me to the job place. I had visited the shop once before on my way back home from University and there were an array of emotions experienced as I walked in, to say the least. The vibe in that place was no joke, perfectly thought out by a craftsman throughly experienced in aesthetic and joy.
I had been applying for jobs ever since I started University, only because Baba said paying for my tuition would be too expensive. One option was to not attend University at all, and that was not an option for me. I had dreamed University my whole life, and made sure it would happen. So with a loan, I decided to work part-time to earn money that would go towards my daily commute and food expenses. I didn't want Baba to pay for anything, or else I would never hear the last of it from it. I didn't blame him though. We were struggling financially and I didn't want to make it worse.
I clicked on the email and jumped out of my seat to see I had been offered a job the next working day. I guess my CV was impressive enough to skip the interview process. After dancing with ultimate relief that I had gotten a job for this Christmas break, I realised the next day was Monday, my stomach suddenly flipping at the thought of something going wrong on my first day. This wasn't my first job, but somehow the idea of a new place, with workers that already knew what they were doing and a completely new environment scared me.
I rushed upstairs and looked for my work attire for tomorrow. the uniform was black, anything as long as it was casual and black. I settled for a turtleneck long-sleeved top and black jeans that I would pair with my black converses. I hoped it wasn't too casual. Before I had the chance to iron them, a sudden smash had caught my attention. The sound of glass falling, to be precise.
My heart dropped when I realised I had left my cup on the porch outside. I neglected all logical decisions in my head and rushed downstairs. I suspected the wind had toppled it over, or some kids had accidentally dropped it.
What I didn't expect was a young brown-haired man, with round glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, to be stood right outside my door holding my cat in his arms.
"Uhm, excuse me, uh..." He nervously handed me Kitty, as I slowly and suspiciously took her from his hands.
"I'm sorry, but I was passing by and noticed your cat had toppled that cup over. I figured I should let you know just in case she... uh, you know. Stepped over the glass."
I noticed his gaze drop to my blue fuzzy slippers and a small smirk appeared across his face.
"But you didn't knock," I said, watching his confused glance.
"Huh?"
"You said you wanted to let me know my cat had broken the cup, but you didn't knock."
I held Kitty in one arm and pet her with the other since she seemed restless.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Suddenly the green-eyed boy's expression grew curious. I found this whole situation strange. Kitty couldn't reach that table, especially since she was unable to use one of her back legs, jumping had always been difficult for her. I somehow knew that she hadn't broken that cup.
"You sure you were just passing by?" I asked as Kitty purred in my arms. I stroked her head as she fell into my chest.
He watched her and tilted his head, stepping back and running a hand through his hair.
"A thank you would have sufficed but I guess that'll do."
He turned around and looked at the glass pieces on the floor.
"You might wanna be careful with those."
I opened my mouth to say something back but he began to walk away. It was five minutes later, after I had cleaned up the mess Kitty had made that I grew increasingly curious as to how it had broke. I had never seen that male around my neighbourhood and I pretty much knew everyone around here. A face like that couldn't go unnoticed, if I was completely honest.
The rest of that evening, I questioned whether I should have acted the way I did and should have just expressed my gratitude. After all, if it was the wind that caused the cup to fall, the situation would have seemed right. But the young man had mentioned that Kitty broke it, which I couldn't wrap my head around.
Whilst I took a shower, I made a mental promise to myself to analyse a situation better next time, just so that I don't end up growing into an old, rude hag who sees the worst in everyone.
_
22nd December, 2018
6:00am
My alarm had been going off for twenty minutes and it was a great struggle for me to not make that snooze button my best friend. I had grown close to that button, too close.
Turning off my alarm after the seventh time it had gone off, I ambled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. This job had better be worth the turmoil of awaking on an early Monday morning.
I had taken thirty minutes to get ready and had taken extra time to make my hair look presentable, I had short hair that ended just above my chin so it had always been tough to style it in a way that was smart. I resorted to wavy curls and applied a little makeup to hide my lack of sleep.
I left a note on the fridge for Baba, letting him know I was off to work as I read over the previous note I had left for him two days ago.
It's my last day today, so I'll be home for 5 O'clock! I'll bring you some dinner on my way back xx
I didn't think he had read it because I came home to empty takeaway boxes that he had eaten from with his work colleagues. I ended up eating two portions myself that night, and puked it out the next day. So the food had gone to waste either way.
I removed the notes and placed the most recent one right in the middle where I'd hoped he'd see.
Grabbing an apple, I made my way out to my first day at work. Kitty was at the porch and purred as she ran around my legs in excitement. I couldn't help but smile at the way she acted, as though I hadn't held her just hours before.
"My little munchkin," I held her soft fur in my hands and lightly scratched her neck. "I'll be off for work now, you be good! Don't be too much trouble for Baba."
I let her out of my arms and double checked my appearance in the reflection of the door. I hoped I would look professional to the staff at Aroma.
As I arrived at the coffee shop, I inhaled deeply and let out a deep breath. This was going to be okay. I was going to be okay.
I stepped in the familiar smell of strong coffee and closed my eyes in delight. The warm colours of the interior of the shop had already calmed my nerves, and suddenly I felt confident enough to start this job.
"Noor, is it?"
At the till stood a tall dark-skinned woman, her features prominently soft and a grey bandanna across her frohead, keeping her curly black hair pushed back. I smiled and walked over.
"Yep, that's me."
"You're early, that's great."
She smiled as her gaze lingered for a couple of seconds. I felt a shiver in my spine as I looked back into her eyes. They were a deep grey. She was beautiful and I wondered what her role was at the shop.
"The name's Lesedi. I run this place. It's nice to meet you," she held out her hand over the counter and I shook it firmly as she proceeded in looking into my eyes, her eyes feigning to move.
"It's nice to meet you too," I nervously replied.
"You're nervous."
"Huh? I mean, what? I'm- I mean, I'm not nervous. I'm okay, I guess. I'm just-"
I suddenly found myself lost for words as she stood effortlessly tall amongst me and smiled at my outburst of nonsensical ramblings.
"Dear, you're going to be okay."
I looked back at her and felt the muscles in my shoulders loosen at her words of assurance. I didn't know what it was, but her voice was magical. Either I had woken up too early and was in a state of delusion, or this woman was of a unique kind. Her presence was already comforting, and I had only known her for a minute.
"I'll show you around in a sec. Take a seat." She smiled and beckoned me to one of the tables.
The store was still closed and would open in an hour. I sat for a couple of minutes as I heard mutters of conversation in what seemed to be the kitchen. The interior of the shop was dominantly light, teal and lilac, contrasted against the wooden walls and many plants placed all around the shop. There were fairy lights all around the room and the tables were small but perfect. The decor was simple, the theme being nature as there were small garden props such as a watering can and a small glass garden gnome that was a blue pastel colour. I found myself exploring the decorations on the shelves on the wall, and let out a small laugh at the expression of the gnome. He looked abnormally happy to be a gnome.
"They're cute, aren't they?"
Lesedi was stood beside me and I nervously smiled back at her, nodding a small yes.
"They're a gift from my late husband. This is one of them. I have a whole collection of these gnomes at home."
I saw her eyes light up as she spoke of her spouse and there was a sudden twinkle in her expression.
"But that's a story I'll come around to telling you. Right now, let's get you started!"
She held both my shoulders from behind and my eyes widened in surprise as she showed me the way to the kitchen.
It was average sized for a cafe, and everything was spotless. I noticed a middle aged caucasian woman at the oven, wearing baking gloves and a black cap over her blonde hair.
"This is Sophia, our baker who takes care of all good things baked and cooked."
As Lesedi introduced her, her hands left my shoulders as she walked in front of me. I smiled at Sophia and she smiled back, her expression warm and friendly.
"I'm looking forward to working with you! So excited to have a new face in here," she said as she opened the oven and placed on the worktop a tray of freshly made brownies.
"I'm looking forward to it too!" I smiled back and Lesedi beckoned me over to the back of the kitchen.
Before me was a collection of tea and coffee brands that I recognised from the research I had done the night before. Lesedi explained to me the coffee that we used for which occasions as I listened earnestly.
"And this," she picked up a large wooden box with unique carvings all around the exterior. "This is our secret. The reason why Aroma does so well."
She opened up the box and inside were an assortment of tea leaves that smelled like heaven. I had to stop myself from closing my eyes in pleasure.
"Tea?" I asked, as I watched her serious expression.
"Not just any old tea, honey. It's our secret. We have our own special supplier that nobody else knows about. This stuff? It's our gift from God Himself."
She took a deep inhale of the tea herself as she closed the lid and took me over to the front of the shop where the coffee was made. Lesedi briefly talked me through how the machines work and saw my look of panic as I failed to keep up with her.
"Don't worry, love. You won't be thrown into this straight away. I'll have you watch our prime barista. He'll show you how its done, there's no need to worry." She smiled at my worried expression and I nodded in return, trying not to panic too much. The people here already seemed lovely.
"Okay... so I think I have shown you pretty much the basics. Today you'll be observing and assisting, is that okay?"
I nodded furiously again, unaware of how scared I looked.
"Don't worry! I told you, you're going to be okay." Lesedi's warm smile assured me once again as Sophia called her over for something.
I took this moment to look around again and couldn't help but feel relieved that the shop was so beautiful from inside, making my nerves feel at ease. The music playing was soft Lofi and I was content, though still a little nervous. The environment was peaceful. I just hoped I could do my job well.
I noticed in the corner of my eye, a door just slightly behind the counter, that led outside. I figured the bins must be located out there as I spotted a couple of bin bags.
"Raka!" I heard Lesedi shout and I shot my head at the kitchen entrance as she eyed the same door I was looking at.
"Excuse me," she smiled, as she slid past me. "Come, I haven't introduced you to our barista."
She waved her arm and I followed her out the door.
"Raka, honey, I would like to introduce you to our newest worker.
Outside were, as I presumed, large red bins for all of the shop waste to go into. A tall boy in an apron and a black cap was picking up the bin bags and throwing them into the bins, which looked like a heavy job. I mentally praised him for being able to do is so effortlessly at seven in the morning.
"This is Raka. Raka, Noor."
Lesedi introduced me to the boy who still hadn't turned his head, throwing in the last bag into the bin and patting his hands on the back of his trousers.
"Sorry, one sec," he said, turning around as my eyes widened in surprise.
The brown haired boy who tried to steal my cat was stood before me . Raka was his name.
"Hi, I'm Raka, nice to m-" he stopped mid sentence and slowly held out his hand, recognising me as I did him.
I pursed my lips as I shook his hand.
He stared deeply into my eyes. And I did the same, unable to move my gaze.
"So your name was Noor."
He smirked and let go of my hand, taking off his apron.
"New worker?" He asked Lesedi.
He placed the apron on the abandoned sofa beside the bins and crossed his arms.
"I thought we were doing fine." He looked concerned as he looked at Lesedi.
She laughed and held his arm.
"The more the merrier," she replied as Raka looked back at me a smiled again.
"Well then, I guess I'm your mentor for today."
Lesedi let out another laugh and turned to walk away.
"Be nice, Raka!"
He chuckled in response and looked at me once again, tilting his head.
"I guess the odds are in your favour too often, Noor."
It felt strange to hear him say my name, and even stranger to try and understand what he meant by that.
"Follow me, chick."
I recoiled at the name he had already given me as he walked back into the shop.
I couldn't understand what it was. Maybe there was something in the air, or about that shop. Or about the way both Lesedi and Raka had the most piercing gazes I'd known of. But somehow, something had changed. And I had a strange feeling that my life from here onwards would never be the same again.
"Crazy cat lady? Come on! We have work to do!"
I scoffed at the second bad name I'd already been assigned and walked into the shop. Maybe this feeling was my fate telling me it's time; a new season had finally begun.