Bittersweet (English)

CHAPTER 20

Kaye carefully watched as Missy showed her the list of possible teas the cafe could use. Missy had a wide variety on the table.

They opted to discuss the matter on the family’s conservatory where they grew small Camellia Sinensis plants. These plants were best grown in warmer seasons. However, since the weather in Mt. Salvador has always been inconsistent, a conservatory would be a much safer choice.

“If you are looking for a coffee alternative, then a black tea or pu-erh tea would be best. They have about half the caffeine in a cup of coffee. Green tea would also be another alternative though apparently, we don’t have one yet,” Missy burst with information. She was showing Kaye some dried tea leaves she currently has.

Kaye was amazed at how different kinds of teas could be produced from the same plant. Each kind would vary from when they were harvested and how they would be processed. 

Kaye wrote down the data in her small notebook. She decided to bring one in case she’d get overwhelmed by all the information. She could be a scatterbrain sometimes so jotting down could allow her to organized her thoughts later on.

“That sounds great to me. Could those work well with desserts, too?” Kaye inquired.

“Sure do!” Missy responded with enthusiasm. The sudden pitch in her voice caused Kaye to jump on her seat. “Pu-erh tea would work well with your dark chocolate desserts. Or black tea which also tends to have a robust flavor that could match the intensity of dark cocoa.”

Missy handed to Kaye a pinch of dried fermented tea. True enough, it has a certain earthy smell on it. Perfect for the strong taste of dark chocolate. Black tea leaves also have the same aroma with a sweet scent.

“How about for the neutral ones like my Sponge cake?” 

“You can serve white tea with it. And if you decide to add fruits on your cakes, then you can pair it with the same tea as it has a somewhat fruity or flowery aroma.”

“Oh, you’re right! It seems so delicate,” Kaye agreed as she nodded her head repeatedly while taking note of what’s important. These would be necessary for her plans as well.

They have few items on their menu at the moment so Kaye was planning to add some fruity desserts for her seasonal menu. Pairing them with tea could be a refresher. A variation on their beverages. 

Missy was more than glad in showing her the ropes. Her eyes were even brimming with enthusiasm. Kaye remembered how proud Missy was when she showed her the conservatory. It wasn’t that huge but the plants were healthy and well taken care of. 

It shows how passionate Missy was about her craft. Just like her. 

“Around May to July, I could harvest make some green tea for you.” Missy continued while gently feeling the leaves of her plants. “Once you have adjusted, you can make variations later on. Like Chai tea. Its black tea boiled in milk and water with the addition of herbs and spices.”

Kaye walked around the conservatory smelling a variety of plants. She was sure the temperature inside was kept warm for the plants but somehow, for her, she felt cool and refreshed. Much like the teas that by the way, she hasn’t taken yet.

“Should we return to the house?” Missy smiled. On her hands were packs of dried tea leaves she showed as a sample earlier. “We can discuss more inside. Unfortunately, we don’t have seats here since it’s small.”

“Oh my. Don’t worry about me. I’m rather thankful you gave me some of your time to talk about this,” Kaye shook her head in response. 

She closed the door of the conservatory and followed behind Missy. There wasn’t any snow falling from the sky. But the surroundings were still covered with snow. It was like walking on a cold cotton field.

The breeze blowing from the sea wasn’t helping much in warming the temperature. Although the sun was out for a couple of days, the heat it produced wasn’t enough to melt the thick layers of snow. Perhaps it would take a couple more days. Hopefully.

“I hope you ladies are hungry.” Emily welcomed both women with her voice coming from the dining area. “I made pecan pie!” She yelled with excitement.

The smell of roasted pecan nuts hit their nose. It was inviting. Kaye loved Emily’s pecan pie. Every bite was addictive. Though it couldn’t be recommended for all ages since she uses whiskey in the filling. 

“I sure am,” Kaye’s voice was filled with thrill. The fresh from the oven aroma was enough to fill her taste buds.

The same moment Kaye and Missy entered the dining area, the front door opened. Mykel was struggling to move past the entryway. Following close to him was Martin who was carrying Miko in his hands.

Both men took the liberty of taking the dogs on a morning walk while Kaye and Missy were kept busy with their discussion. It also came as a surprise to Kaye that Martin was also invited to the ‘tea party’. Though his presence there was never a bother. She just didn’t expect it. 

Anyway, the dogs hardly had any time to enjoy outdoors because of the awful weather in the past weeks so it made sense if they haven’t had enough yet. Mykel and Martin’s appearance were in chaos. Wonder what these men went through in just a couple of hours?

Luca and Ruko were refusing to move an inch from where they stood. They were already beyond the size of a normal dog, but then the strength they impose right now was worthy of praise. Miko kept whining on Martin’s hands. 

“Oh my, why don’t you boys wash up before we have lunch,” Emily suggested with a hint of amusement on her face. 

Missy held out a burst of laughter. If not for the annoyed look on Mykel’s face, she would have exploded. Instead, she took her seat at the dinner table and drank her tea.

Kaye walked at a fast pace towards Martin. She took Miko from his arms.

“I hope it was a meaningful journey for all of you,” Kaye snickered.

“I’ve never questioned my ability to charm animals because I’m a vet, but these guys are a handful,” Martin sighed shaking his head in disbelief. He suddenly felt tired even though it was only midday.

Apparently, the moment they left the front of the house earlier, the dogs started dragging the leash. They wanted to run around and sneak to narrow spaces. The worst part was, they wanted to chase squirrels and other small animals they came across. 

Mykel grunted as he finally pulled his dogs inside the house. The low temperature outside didn’t even help hide his tired face. Sweat was building on his forehead.

“Every d*mn time!” Mykel ranted after washing his face on the kitchen sink. This even happened if he failed to walk the dogs for a day. Good for them for having so much energy.

“We have a bathroom right there if you have forgotten,” Missy casually noted while holding her warm cup of tea.

Contrary to Mykel, Martin took his time in the bathroom. After all, he was a neat person obsessed with hygiene.

Kaye let Miko stay with the other dogs. Despite the resistance earlier, they seemed to have finally calmed down sitting around the living area. Lily, the old golden cat showed off her superiority by walking past the dogs with head and tail up high.

Kaye motioned towards the bathroom waiting in line outside. She could get scolded later if she ate without cleaning her hands. She remembered Martin being rigid on stuff like this. 

But as she waited outside the door, Emily stood in front of her with a towel in her hands. Her slightly wrinkled face smiled at her. Her eyes almost closed as she smiled. 

Martin then walked out of the opened bathroom door. Emily greeted him with the towel to dry his hands.

Oookay? Kaye uttered in her head. She never spoke a word. It was confusing her nonetheless. 

She proceeded to the dining table after cleaning her hands. She took a seat between Mykel and Missy. Her eyes remained on Emily and Martin. Emily was fixing a plate for Martin and the man gladly received the act of kindness.

She slightly tilted towards Mykel and whispered, “Is it just me or is your mother totally sweet towards Martin?”

“I know. And she’ll be in denial if you try to ask her,” Mykel whispered back stealing glances at the people in question. 

Missy seemed to be oblivious of the atmosphere between her mother and Martin. She just continued handing out cups of tea for everyone. 

They ate without interrogation. Kaye forgot when Emily stopped taunting Martin. Perhaps it was on or before Christmas day? She remembered they were already all over each other when they had breakfast after she suffered all night of fever.

Fever….

Kaye hasn’t realized that word could be a trigger. She kept biting her pie but her face never left the plate. She felt a surge of embarrassment after having realized what happened on Christmas eve. 

Mykel took care of her while she acted like a spoiled brat. She may almost felt delirious because of the high temperature, but she recalled the words she threw at him. 

‘Why won’t you ever listen to me? I only wanted the best for you.’

Oh no. It sounded so cheesy! Kaye screamed on her head as she tried to brush away the images of that fateful night. I’m way past my teenage years.

“Can you hear me, Kaye?” 

Kaye abruptly raised her head after hearing Missy’s voice. All eyes were on her with concern. 

“I’m sorry I was just trying to figure out Emily’s pecan pie recipe,” she lied hoping they would buy her excuse. 

Missy chuckled. “Then you should probably get married in the family to know the recipe.”

“Ahaha, you think?” Kaye forced a laugh but came out awkwardly. She needed a subtle intervention. “What were you saying earlier?”

Wow, that was an obvious ditch.