Bittersweet (English)

CHAPTER 19

Is it really okay for me? Will it be alright this time? 

-Sigh- 

Kaye bit her lips as she deliberated on her head. Her eyes were glued on the empty plate in front of her and hands stiff on her lap. 

But the last time she gambled, it was a miserable failure. It didn’t only wreck their relationship but themselves as an individual.

No no no no. I don’t want to be like this anymore. 

She clenched her fists in annoyance. She was tired of her own pessimistic nature. If she wished to live longer and manage the cafe, then she ought to dispose of her negative thoughts. That would be unhealthy.

“I can return another time if today’s no good,” Geraldine smiled awkwardly. She was explaining mid-conversation when she noticed Kaye was inattentive. She was worried that she came at the wrong time.

Kaye jerked on her seat after realizing. She abruptly apologized. “My bad. I just thought of something but I heard you just fine. I swear!”

Geraldine raised a brow. She looked unconvinced of Kaye’s persuasion but decided not to make a big deal out of it.

“As everybody knows, the main road is still blocked and trains aren’t also operational.” Geraldine continued with eagerness. “A farmer's worst dilemma, to be honest. Although we resumed deliveries on neighboring towns, mounts of our products are going to waste because our big clients are in the major cities.”

“The snow never was easy on us.” Jenny groaned as she slouched on her chair. “Are there more crops left to harvest?”

“Honestly, we’ve salvaged every good crop we had after the weather calmed down. This brings me here since I’m going around potential places to sell the remainders,” Geraldine pleaded with a soft smile.

“Alas! Your parents can retire in peace. They’ve got a hardworking successor in front of them,” Jenny exclaimed in a teasing tone.

“Damn, right! I’m so occupied I can’t even see the opportunity to meet someone and get married,” Geraldine’s voice boomed in agreement. 

Both Jenny and Geraldine went on discussing how they were a slave to their love for their work. They laughed it off since they weren’t that desperate to settle down yet. Just the usual jest among friends.

Kaye was laughing along but never really joined in the conversation. It felt awkward for her after having such thoughts about Mykel.

Little did she know that Jenny was actually watching her expressions. 

“Well, someone I know might be getting married soon. They have one eager suitor, you know,” Jenny hinted giving Kaye a vexing look.

“I wonder who that might be?” Geraldine joined in the joke. 

Kaye snorted in disbelief. She wasn’t that dumb not to understand what they were on about. 

“I ain’t getting married anytime soon,” Kaye declared with both hands raised as if in surrender. 

“Oh my, did you mention her name, Jenny?” Geraldine gasped feigning ignorance.

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps you did.” 

“Me? I don’t even know who those people are.”

“Me neither. But someone told me that the suitor is a really greedy man.”

“Goodness, Jenny! I can’t decide whether it's sweet or threatening.”

Jenny and Geraldine laughed at their own game. 

Kaye on the other hand, couldn’t help but sneer. The exaggeration in their skit was amusing enough. 

Funny how Jenny swam like a fish after Mykel finally left for home. They even sent Keith home since they were mostly done with the cleaning. All that’s left was Geraldine’s business. 

Anyway, It wasn’t something she’d sulk on. They were all just having fun in exchange for her stagnant love life. 

Well, it’s dead anymore. Kaye thought to herself.

“Oh, come on. Enough about that. Geraldine is here to talk about business,” Kaye emphasized, changing the subject back to Geraldine’s concerns.

“I don’t like how you dodged the subject but you’re right,” Jenny shifted to her corporate mode. 

“How you always manage to suddenly switch is beyond my imagination,” Kaye smirked at her friend’s unbelievable conduct.

“Yeah, I felt like she splashed me with cold water when I’m still warming up.” Geraldine groaned in disappointment. “But anyway, what I was getting into is if you’d like to take on the remaining fruits I have. It would be a waste if they’d rot with time.”

Kaye walked outside towards Geraldine’s small truck. Her friends followed behind her. There were crates of fruits varying from strawberries, kiwis, apricots, and peaches. 

“Good thing old man Jenkins was stocking up with the vegetables and spices. I got other places to buy from me even in small amounts with a discounted price. I’d rather lose a fraction of the capital than not having any in return.” 

“That’s true. It’ll be awful if that happens.” Jenny agreed. It was admirable seeing Geraldine put so much effort into their business. “Good thing you thought about this idea.”

“Yeah, it's really hard for us in this region. Though we are blessed with the best soil, we had to deal with erratic weather conditions. So I’m trying my best to prepare for the worst each time.”

Meanwhile, Kaye remained silent. Not because she was in a daze again. But she was seriously thinking of something to help both the cafe and Geraldine. She was a very good friend and a reliable business partner.

Kaye placed a finger on her chin. She had this lingering idea in her head for a while now. It dawned on her when the cafe started gaining prestige. 

She did have doubts because she didn’t exactly know where to begin. But after seeing Geraldine, she finally came to a conclusion.

Kaye snapped her fingers. This should be the time for a change.

“I’ll take them,” Kaye declared smiling at Geraldine.

“All of them?” Geraldine requested a confirmation.

“Yep!”

“Not that I hate the idea but are you sure, Kaye? What would you use it for? We don’t even have fruits on our menu,” Jenny worriedly asked. She was hoping Kaye wasn’t getting ahead of herself. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. Anyway, I think this will work fine.” Kaye sounded so sure. “And you’re right. We don’t have fruits on our menu. So I guess it’s time we add one.”

Kaye smiled meaningfully as she lifted one crate and went inside the cafe.

“Well, what do you know. If it’s about baking or sweets, she could be confident if she wanted to,” Jenny shrugged then carried a crate back to the cafe. 

Geraldine also followed behind them with a crate at hand. Once everything was in the kitchen, Kaye started washing all of them. 

Jenny rolled off her sleeves and wore an apron. Geraldine stayed over to help too since she was done for the day. 

Once washed thoroughly, Kaye packed them in containers. She placed a sticker with the appropriate label. Then placed them all in the freezer. Freezing them could at least make the fruits last.

After they were done, Kaye pulled Jenny to their office. Geraldine was getting dragged along the wave, too. She was also curious about the plan.

“Like what Geraldine said, we really have abundant soil thus producing the best crops.” Kaye began. She was scrolling on her laptop as if looking for something particular. She saw some sample photos and presented them to the others. “You see there are a lot of desserts with fruits overshadowed by the all-time favorite chocolate. Nonetheless, they are equally heavenly.”

“Okay, somehow I can see where this is going,” Jenny nodded in approval. 

“Aside from that, we can produce our own variation. We can be creative with fruits. Plus, we can include it as a seasonal menu depending on what we have for that time of the year,” Kaye grinned in anticipation. She could barely hide her excitement.

Geraldine whistled. “I don’t see why not. We sure do have an excessive amount of fruits during winter and summer.”

Jenny stood straight and patted Kaye’s shoulders. The passion in her eyes was overwhelming. Macy must be excited in heaven.

Guess, I won’t be seeing her regularly in the following days. Jenny laughed at the thought. 

It wasn’t in a negative way. Kaye would be restless if she has ideas left hanging. She would spend hours on research and studying. Once she was done, she’d proceed to experimentation. She would do it over and over until she’d have the exact thing she envisioned.

Well, that was how passionate Kaye was about her craft. Before it was her job, it has been her hobby to bake and create sweets. So it was nothing unfamiliar to Jenny. 

Jenny was glad to see the enthusiasm in Kaye’s eyes. It wasn’t the same eyes that always looked down months ago. 

“You can take your time. But make sure to attend the cafe from time to time. After all, you’re the only patisserie we have here,” Jenny instructed.

“No worries, I’d get this done in no time,” Kaye winked in assurance.

“Yeah, but make sure to rest in between and sleep properly. You always missed trivial things when you’re engrossed in what you’re doing.”

“Just now, you sounded more like a mother nagging her kid rather than being a best friend,” Kaye teased.

Jenny playfully pinched her cheeks and reiterated her advice. This was not something to be taken lightly of. Kaye would tend to ignore everything aside from her work. So it was really worrisome.

“Yes, I get it. Don’t worry. I assure you I’ll get a good amount of rest,” Kaye reassured lifting one hand to promise.