THE GAY BARTENDER

Chapter five

I felt the warm sunshine band on my cheek and smiled softly.Damn that felt good ,then my eyes slammed open and I shot out of bed . The sun was out and that was not a good sign at all, it meant I was late. Most of my money at the bakery came from the morning coffee rush in the morning.I needed to get to the bakery in the next one hour or I would not make my money. I needed to call Laura to go to the bakery and do the morning prepping. I had given her a spare key for the bakery . I couldn't find my f*****g phone. I checked in the bedroom,I checked in the bathroom ,I couldn't find it .

After a quick shower I went to look for my phone again , I couldn't find it . it wasn't in the bedroom or in the bathroom either which meant I would have to go around the house looking for it.I had to call Laura , I couldn't imagine losing over fifteen hundred dollars, all for what . Just because I couldn't find my phone. No that was not going happen.I had to call Laura to tell her to bring her keys with her instead of her waiting for me at the door.

I dialled Laura's number , she didn't pick up all I heard was a mechanical lady at the other end of the call say . "The voicemail of the recepient has not been setup yet. " Ofcourse she haven't set up her voicemail urghh..

"where are you ?" I texted her as I was getting ready . After a few minutes my phone was blank no messages , nothing.That meant she slept in. I tried texting her more times afterwards all to no response. I entertained the thought of cutting this from her paycheck. She had been late the whole of last week too. I couldn't do this to her . we had been friends since highschool , I knew it wasn't right. She deserved alot more leeway than that. I am going to kill her. I am going to cut her head off and hung it beside the store and tag it "the worst employee ever."

This wasn't just the morning coffee rush, Monday was our biggest day of the week. When people finally climbed out of their hangovers and went to work . early in the morning they needed their coffee and muffins and Laura was really costing me alot of money. well it wasn't fair to blame her solely for the shop opening late . I also slept late scramming through the internet looking for recipes. btw I found the best streusel apricot recipe it will be ready for the bakery in the afternoon.

They'd come in stiff-faced and ravenous barking orders ,I was supposed to be helping them out right now . But I was six lights in almost ready to get off and walk.

when I arrived I didn't waste any more time.i hopped out of the car into the front gate and went to the back door. Normally,I liked reaching there earlier so I could make sure everything looked all nice and presentable. In food service , ambiance was everything . If your food looked good , the more customers you'll get . it was the go tip.Nobody would eat here if it looked like a rundown cafeteria.So I took pride in the shop, besides it was mine . I would set a fresh bouquet of flowers every two days ,made sure the cakes and pies were on display everyday all nice and presentable. I wanted people to feel comfortable here , not just order and leave. I wanted them to stick around and have coffee with their friends and muffins as they talked about school, work ,home whatever it was. Or even sit at the booth and read the newspaper the whole morning. I wanted Mayas to be a meeting place, where couples would meet sit and talk , where kids would come as they come off school.

They would remember it and make it their daily routine. I needed that customer bonding relationship that would lead to me having a stable and steady income from the shop. That steady income meant I needed to invest my time in the shop. Time that I honestly didn't think I had . Time that I wasn't sure I had . Sometimes just putting off the lights and shutting down the doors seemed like a hustle.

Everything in the shop hung by a thread, a slim thin fragile thread. Everyday was a hustle of trying to keep it afloat. There was no such thing as certainty in this business. There was no knowing of what tomorrow would hold and I was not happy about it all.

I kept hoping that something would happen. There could be a parade just outside the shop, or one of the chain stores would close . Then people would come rushing into the shop money at hand .

But that was just a fantasy and it couldn't just happen.No one was going to find out about my shop unless I told them. That would take years of long hard work. I just wasn't sure I could keep he shop going for that long though. it was not like my bakery was doing that badly , we were located down town. Right after the prime district. This was a prime real estate for me and we were making a decent amount of business for a shop like mine.i just couldn't stop worrying about everything. I tried to calm myself down and munch on a muffin as I waited for the customers, but I just winded up staring at the door waiting , praying and hoping that customers would flood into the shop.Every shadow that passed by was a potential customer, another reason for me to look around and make sure everything was okay .

I made sure there were no crumbs on the counter and I wiped out all the glasses and shelves around.I wiped the tables down again even though I already knew they were clean . Eventually I was forced to admit that everything was perfect . I went back to the register and took a bite of my muffin. Some of the cream icing came off and stuck to the top of my lip. I was searching for a napkin to wipe it off when a man in a black suit walked in.

"Oh God" I sighed hoping he wouldn't notice as I took the napkin and wiped it off but it was too late.

"Am I interrupting," the man said from behind me with laughter in his speech.I was blushing when I turned to him

"What can I get you ?" I asked as my cheeks were turning pink.

"That muffin looks tasty, a little messy but good. is that cream cheese icing ?"

"it is " I was beet red now.

"Perfect,I think I'll get that." a playful smile covered his lips

"Okay ,one ginger spice muffin coming right up, anything else?"

"That be all"

I took a glance at him as I went back to the kitchen.He was tall and blonde, cute but a little lanky for my taste. I brought his muffin back to him "here ya go"

He paid with card and signed the receipt with his number . I took the receipt and scratched off his number and put the receipt back to the till .It was a boost of confidence but he wasn't my type.

when he left Laura finally entered . She was wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses when she walked in .

"You are late !"

I announced and came over to give her a hug.

"I know".

"Let me see those sunglasses."

I stepped back and glared at her

"Why? they are just sunglasses, Laura began to pull back and as she walked backwards . I followed her .

"Those aren't just sunglasses, if they were ,you would have left them in the car like you always do ."

"Oh come one, I can't change my style up a bit?"

"You got s**t housed last night!"

"I did not" she was holding an energy drink.

"Tell me what happened, I'm craving a human conversation right now." I laughed

"You sure it's not because you mad I came in late today."

"That too , but honestly Laura am dying out of curiosity. All I think about is this friggin bakery."

"Oh I know"

Chloe took off her apron from the hook and tied it around. I have been telling you , all you do is worry about this shop and you refuse to do anything else with your time and that my friend is not healthy for you."

"I won't budge" I went into the walk-in and grabbed a crate of blueberries while Laura struggled to get the cauldron sized mixing bowl out from underneath the sink.

"That's your problem Maya , you are so fixated on your carrer that you forget everything else that is happening around you. There are alot of beautiful moments, beautiful people to meet as well, if you just take your time and listen."

"This was not the conversation I was hoping for"

"And that's why you are lonely ,"Laura said as I walked out with the blueberries.I pulled a bowl from the shelves above the sink with a box full of sugar .

"I found a recipe that I want to try out."

"Really?"

Laura, lat me change the subject .

"Yeap, apricot streusel"

"I don't know ,it sounds a little weird."

"Not if you do it right, it's actually pretty good" I pulled out my phone to show her the recipe .

"That's sounds so good"

"I Knw right"

"But we can't make them."

"Why not?"

"Because we'll be making scones all day ."

Laura wrinked her nose."It's cause am late right"

"Yeah , but I was late too." we both laughed

"I refuse to believe that ."

"Well believe it."

The door rang