Today would be another day for Julien. He looked out of his café window. It was closing time, and there were two or three regulars still sitting around. They were enjoying the café’s sweets, which the café was famous for.
He looked at the waitress—Leslie, who was bringing out some empty dishes.
“Are they done?” he inquired.
“Table seven is. Table nine and thirteen aren’t done yet. Can I get seven’s check?”
After passing her the bill, Julien went back to looking around. After a moment of looking, he left for the kitchen with a sigh. He threw on the latex gloves and started emptying the dishes into the trash. He set them in the Clorox-filled sink.
As the water ran, Julien wondered how his folks were doing, back in Desiderata Valley… “I should call them,” he mumbled to himself.
It had been nearly ten years since he set himself out to Pleasantview. It had taken him this long to establish himself. It had been a long and bumpy ride, filled with happiness and aspiration, but equally filled with pity and regret.
After finishing the plates, and waiting for more to come in, Julien remembered that familiar face he saw the other day on his way home from work. Olivia Hessen hadn’t changed one bit. She still had those inspiring blue eyes, still wore that sexy red lipstick, and still had that black lip ring that she liked to lick from now and then.
She was still the girl whom he loved the most.
But, it was different now, he had decided—because many familiar faces from Desiderata were here, such as Lance Fitzroy and Mathew Picaso.
And, Nina Caliente was still here, too. And, he knew how much she wanted him to ask her again. Things were different from ten years ago; people had moved on, thought it seemed that Julien was the only one in the past.
Finally, the last of the plates came to the sink.
Early in the morning, Julien was the first one to come in. It was seven in the morning, and he knew that if he didn’t get here, the café’s special lemon meringue pie and assorted fruit cookies wouldn’t be made. If he left it to his other chefs, they wouldn’t even realize that there was a special today.
After finishing the first batch of cook, he heard a tap on the front door. Ignoring it, he started mixing ingredients for the meringue pie.
But, the knocking kept knocking, and finally, it drove Julien to the front of the store. He knew he was going to give a long talk to this person, but all that disappeared when he saw who was knocking.
Her lipstick flashed along with the new silver ring in her lip. “Hey, Julien!” she called out.
“O-Olivia…” He opened the door, amazed that she was here. No, actually, kind of embarrassed that she was here…
“I was just passing by and I saw your car there, so I knew you’d be in.”
“Uh, yeah. Came to back some stuff before we open.”
“Wow, you’re dedicated. It’s seven thirty.”
He nodded. “If I don’t do it, then I know that the others won’t.”
She chuckled. “That’s what you get for opening your own business; being your own boss.”
“Are you on your way to school?”
Olivia nodded. “Yep…and, if it’s not a bother…”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“We have a class party today…” She was eyeing the leftover pies and cakes in the freezer. “Well, you know…”
He smirked. “Need something to bring?”
“I promised doughnuts, but…I completely forgot until I saw your car.”
He laughed. “That’s so you.”
“So, could I ask you a favor to get me like three pies?”
“Sure. How about you come in and choose?” He opened the door wider and stepped aside.
She came in and whistled. “I like this place. Did you choose everything here?”
“Yeah.”
“Never knew you had an eye for style.”
He laughed. “I didn’t know until I actually thought about opening this place. The pies are this way.” He led her towards the freezer.
She looked at them. “…What’s good?”
“Maybe the mixed berry pie. That’s a favorite. The grape pie is pretty good, if I say so myself. Oh, and the pear pie is to die for.”
“Then, I’ll take those three.”
He brought out the pie boxes and the pies. While he was packing them, he started another conversation. “How are you liking Pleasantview?”
“It’s not like home, I can tell you that.”
“So, that doesn’t mean you like it?”
“Would it be selfish of me to say that I only like my job?”
He laughed. “Why?”
“Well, I get to talk to a lot of smart kids, you know.”
“Didn’t you do that in Veronaville?”
“I did. But, Veronaville is a rich city, so everyone seemed rich and stuck up. Here, it’s more like middle class, and the kids I talk to have humble opinions.”
“That’s nice to hear.” He put the boxes in a bag and handed them to her.
“Oh, how much do I owe you?” She grabbed her wallet.
“Twenty, even.”
She looked at him strangely. “Now, I’m not a math teacher, but it already costs around ten dollars for a pie…”
He smirked. “Oh? I didn’t notice…”
“Julien…Please…you don’t have to do this.”
He shrugged. “It’s a special friend’s price.”
She glared at him. “Then, let me leave you a tip.”
“No need. It’s fine, really. Twenty, even.”
She hesitantly gave him the twenty.
“Oh, and before you go, give me a moment.” He went to the back, and quickly came out. In his hands was a medium sized box of the cookies he had just baked. “Here, my treat.”
“Julien…”
“Come on, Olivia. For your dinner. My treat.”
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