_ One Year Later _
"Can I talk to Miss Ferguson?"
At the counter, Arvin peeked out. A lady who was in her mid-thirties looked around the café. She had her phone with her, which showed their Instagram advertisement about taking bulk orders for occasions. A triumphant smile stretched across his face.
"Big sis!" he ran to the back of the building. "We've got another customer looking for you."
She was immersed in carving some Luk Chup for another Thai function. In her delicate hands, artistic callouses of flour and food coloring created vivid patterns. The whole kitchen smelled of sugar and fruit extract. Her round eyes did not even flinch at the voice of the other as her lips moved very patiently.
"Arrange a table for her and serve her the best Ceylon Earl Grey." This was when she looked up at the young man.
"I'll be there in a minute."
Arvin nodded. It had been a year since his boss, his big sister from another mother, came back after being reported lost. He remembered how bad her state was when she arrived at the airport along with their little friend Gideon. Both of them looked haggard and emotionally scarred.
Arvin ushered the woman to her seat near a window that could view the entire city of Manilay. A fusion of slums and tall skyscrapers created a vast vision to enjoy with the perfect tea. He served the tea in a British porcelain green-blue set, placing a few pieces of Swiss dark chocolate along with it.
"Please enjoy the view and the tea, Ma'am. Our boss said she will be here soon."
He could already tell that the customer was very satisfied with his service and the ambiance of the place. She smiled at him, offering a thank you.
He returned to his daily task of arranging the various cakes behind the showglass.
Thinking back to the prior thought of his boss, he still could not come to a conclusion on what happened to her a year before. Both she and Gideon had refused to speak of it and had barred anyone from mentioning it as well. But he remembered that one night... the second month into her coming back from Spain...
"Who's that lady sitting and sipping Earl Grey?" It was Azeal.
Arvin knew that oblivious tone of voice like the back of his hand. A medium-built young man blocked his vision of the front door. His eyes were like an eagle's; sharp and always looking all around. Azeal joined this café in the same year as Arvin. He was from America, but he always said that his roots were in Arabia.
"We are about to secure another bulk order, I think." Arvin smiled.
He handed over the café apron to Azeal, and this was when Odette emerged out of the kitchen completely different from how she was before. There was no trace of flour or coloring on her hands, her hair neatly plaited into one braid, and her face clean and fresh as ever. He could smell the red clove hand cream she had on all the time, and the café apron was tied securely to her hip with no stains on her striped purple shirt and brown pants.
"Hello." She smiled at the woman who stood up at her arrival. "I'm the owner of this place, Odette Ferguson."
The woman greeted her, and they began to talk. Now it was all up to Big Sis to negotiate and get the deal. Arvin and Azeal both knew that it would be so.
A day in the café went very fast. Usually, Odette had to work non-stop, catering to all the customers along with the other employees. It was the same today.
She sat down for a bit near the window. The nightlife of Manila was breathtaking.
If one were to look from a perspective of uniqueness, one could see how the small houses and slums created the understanding that life could be hard, but at the end of the day, you still had to keep going on. The tall buildings and commercial skyscrapers, of course, served as giants among ants to prove that it could be lonely at the top. Nonetheless, she enjoyed the sound of vehicles honking and the heavy traffic stirring along with the breeze of human life.
As usual, in the moment of rest, she was reminded... of him.
"Mama."
Breaking her from her painful memories, Arvin and Azeal entered, holding Gideon by his hands. She raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you two holding the poor child like he stole something?" she asked, watching her son's worried expression.
"He had a fit in the car." Azeal sighed and patted Gideon on his head. "Big man doesn't want to go to school anymore."
At this, Arvin laughed and pinched Gideon's cheeks, which earned a muttering of frustration from the child. Odette silently observed the visibly troubled eyes and the growing features of early teenage rebellion. Gideon was not a child anymore; he was ten this year.
"Big bro is right, Mama."
After a moment of silence, the boy spoke up. He let go of them and walked towards Odette, sitting in front of her.
"I..." There seemed to be some issue. "I don't wanna go to school anymore, Mama."
He wanted to sound very polite, but she noticed some sort of fear.
"Who hurt you? Tell me."
Arvin and Azeal dragged two chairs and sat next to Odette, trying to get the truth out of the boy.
"Who bullied you...?"
Azeal also joined in but paused and tilted his head, thinking to himself.
"Are you being bullied? First of all."
"I genuinely applaud your order of questioning, man." Arvin shook his head.
Gideon sighed. He did not know how to say it. He knew that his mother would hate what he saw today- who he saw, to be exact.
A gentle hand rested upon his face, and he was met with her beautiful smile.
"If anyone is hurting you, tell me, okay?"
Odette ushered him closer, and Gideon wasted no time walking into her embrace.
"Can I please stay with you all tomorrow, Mama?" Gideon mumbled as he relaxed in her warm arms.
He watched as the young men exchanged sneaky glances, already planning what they would do with him tomorrow.
Odette was deeply worried, but she did not show it. There was a soft hum and a kiss on his forehead.
"You can stay with us tomorrow, but you have to go to school after that, okay?"
Hearing this, Gideon's heart dropped, but knowing how his mother always wanted him to study well and learn well, he had plans for the next few days after tomorrow.
"I understand."
With that, he left with Arvin and Azeal, leaving a very concerned Odette.
Once again, it was her and the empty café. The streets were lively today, but her heart was pounding more. She wanted to call the school and see; however, it was too sudden for that.
"I wonder what he's up to?" she whispered to herself as she picked up the warm cup of jasmine tea and sipped it in silence.
Memories of his dense black eyes smiling at her, running around throwing water, and accompanying her to read... they brought her a sense of grief, which followed as they shattered, and his bloodied, angry face, confused and stripped of all innocence, stared at her intensely.
She coughed out the tea that was being gulped, and her heart ached.
It had been a year after everything. A whole three hundred and sixty-five days after she sliced off the bonds that wanted to attach themselves to her. Those days were no more, and she should not have even remembered his face this long.
Looking out towards the dark skies, her reflection fell upon the glass. No one knew whether the tears were from the coughing or from the agonizing pounding of her heart.