Chapter Four : Kaoru’s Cake House
The Fiat Bravo 2007 entered the grounds of a very unique shop. The shop was not built far away from Wisma Kesuma’s Block F but, it wasn’t a part of the building. Instead, it stood on its own grounds. The shop’s design was like a small, double-storey house with a touch of antique European at every corner. Standing about two acres away on the right side of the shop was an old tree that no longer sprouted leaves or flowers, having only its tall, long branches and large trunk filled with holes everywhere. It was the only thing that crippled the beautiful image of the shop. Now, you’re most likely wondering what the name of this shop is, right? Well, placed directly on top of that shop’s entrance was the signboard that read…
‘ Kaoru’s Cake House ’
Ginn exited from his car, the Fiat Bravo 2007, and made his way into the shop. He walked across the tiny site covered with a carpet of lush green gra.s.s and small yellow and white flowers.
“Good morning, everyone!” he greeted as soon as he was inside the shop. This loud greeting of his had broken the tranquility there, gaining the attention of every person present…attention that was only temporarily though. Ginn smiled and bowed before walking straight to the counter.
“Morning? Is it even morning, Ginn?! It’s almost 12 noon already! Don’t you have work today?” one of the workers that sat behind the counter, working as the cashier, asked. He was a 28 year old man that still looked way younger than his age with his bishounen-like image. His name was Denny and he had light dirty blonde hair.
One’s face does not show how one truly is…
Denny wore the uniform that all workers in Kaoru’s Cake House were acquired to wear which consisted of a white long-sleeved shirt, a dark brown vest and a bowtie of the same color. The dark brown color matched with trousers and shoes, but one would not really be able to see their legs with the long, white ap.r.o.n tied around their waist.
“I have a meeting with a client today so I might not be able to head out to the boutique. Anyway, my partner will be there,” Ginn answered briefly while examining the cakes inside the display cabinet that kept them cooled. There were a lot of different cakes showed, about twenty all in all.
Leaving Ginn to think of what cake to choose, Denny checked the written list on the counter. He then, turned to one of his colleagues standing near the end of the cake display cabinets.
“Bob, when did Wing say that he will add the sugar stocks?”
Bob, the colleague that was busy preparing a plate of cheesecake while standing near the end of the cake display cabinets, was an 18 year old boy with brown hair. He was small for his age but appeared robust. Although his face looked exactly like a little boy’s, there were traces of a.s.sertiveness hidden.
With an impa.s.sive face, Bob answered without turning to face Denny, “Tomorrow. He said to get 10 packets of sugar and to get them from the stockist, not the supermarket anymore. It’s too expensive!”
Soon after that, Bob left, bringing the plate with the slice of cheesecake to the customer, a senior citizen who kept staring out of the window he was sitting near to, that ordered it.
There are memories in every different age of a person, some forgotten, some hidden, but all waiting to come back at the end…
Ginn lifted his head and asked Denny, “I thought that all the while you guys should’ve gotten your stocks for the kitchen from the stockist?”
“Wing wasn’t that great with the stockist before. Only now he starts to buy stocks from them,” Denny replied.
“Well, aren’t you the same?” Ginn said in a derogatory manner. He returned to examining the cakes to find one to enjoy eating this afternoon.
“Oh, come on! You come here in the afternoon to purposefully poke fun of me didn’t you?!” Denny shot back.
Ginn only smiled in reply, his eyes still scanning through the cake display cabinets. His eyes landed on the cake labeled ‘Blueberry Cheese’. This was the one he had been searching for since the beginning. Today, it was placed at the far bottom of the four-shelved cake display cabinet, almost fully hidden from view.
“Denny, give me this ‘Blueberry Cheese’,” he said while pointing at the cake.
Without delay, Denny immediately attended to Ginn’s request, grabbing the cake knife in the basket on top of the cake display cabinet.
“What would you like to drink?” Denny asked while cutting a slice from the cake. He placed the neatly slice on the small plate meant for it.
“An expresso like usual.”
“You with your expresso and ‘Blueberry Cheese’ every time during lunch time here. What kind of human are you?” Denny grumbled. He turned around to the kitchen bar counter and then, shouted before Ginn could have a chance to retort, “Izz! One expresso! As usual for Ginn Celes!!”
Denny then, returned to the cashier counter and said to Ginn, “If you come here every time, order the same thing and continue to ask me the total price, I don’t know what to say to you anymore.”
Ginn was speechless for a moment. “If this is the att.i.tude that you show to all the customers, Wing will be in for a lot of losses you know!” Ginn rolled his eyes while taking out his wallet and pa.s.sed a ffity ringgit note to Denny.
“Pffft, I show this att.i.tude to you only. As if you’re not used to me,” Denny rolled his eyes this time. He took the fifty ringgit note and returned the change which was RM37.50, to Ginn.
“Yeah, right. I know you’re acting like this because Wing isn’t here, right? You just wait, when Wing comes back, I’ll report to him about everything!” Ginn left the cashier counter to find a table to sit at. ‘As if this shop of yours has anything else on the menu but cake!’ he added mentally.
As Bob went back to the counter, Ginn had already found an empty table near the window to sit at. The shop was once again, calm and peaceful with all the customers minding their own business while enjoying the cakes they’re ordered.
‘I wonder, where does Wing think that he’ll find flowers for the shop?’ Bob asked himself.
Flowers, no matter how fresh they are for a moment, will wilt. However, their beauty and memories will continue to wander forever.