Time of Love

I hate saying Goodbye

It was a good Thursday morning. Not too hot and so I decide to head to Lola's Sweet Treats, my baby. I leave around seven. I just want to make sure everything is in order and work a little bit before I resumed properly on Monday. I'd missed her. It's already eight-thirty by the time I get there and it's only supposed to be a thirty minute drive! Nonsense Lagos traffic! I'm glad to see the bakery doors open when I pull up. My second-in-command, Jade, says hello when I walk in. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like my employees were slacking off the year I'd been away, especially since they hadn't been expecting me, so it's not like they did a rush job. All seven of them were accounted for doing their own part to make sure the bakery ran smoothly. I walk around and say hello to them all, noticing that every surface, counter top, piece of equipment and everything in between was wiped and polished squeaky clean...they way I liked it to be. Wait, Ugh...why do I have to be such a good boss and person?! I cry in my head, as I spot the employee rules printed on a pink pretty paper I was very much in love with at the time, on the notice board. Rule 1. Bakery doors must open everyday at 8am without fail except on special occasions. Therefore, all employees must be at work at least, by 6am. Punishment- latecomer(s) cleans the toilet and locks up after work. Oooooohhh! Wetin do me sef wey I go write yeye rule?!!( Ughh, why did I have to write this silly rule?!!) I mean I know why but who likes washing toilets?!! Anyway, I wasn't about to shirk on it so I just make a mental note to serve my punishment after work. I make my way to my office in the back, a decent space behind the kitchen, where I could do my paperwork among other things. And now, the part I've been dreading... emails. It takes me literally about an hour to go through my mail and respond to every one. Two of them are from couples who want to book a taste testing for their wedding cakes and quite a few are for birthdays. Wow! It's like everyone knew I was back and booked me as fast as they could. Eeeekkkk! I can't help screaming in my head. That means the business is doing great and my year-long absence didn't drive away my customers. I'd have to give my employees bonuses to thank them for doing so well. I believe that people should be rewarded and encouraged when they performed well. I put on my apron and head out to the bakery. I spend the next half hour baking a new recipe of sugar cookies if been playing around with. I wanted to see how well they'd do before adding them to the menu so I would use them as freebies and ask customers for feedback. We switched up the menu at the bakery every week so hat the customers could try out different things but there was always the regulars and favorites on hand if anyone wanted them. This week it was tarts and pies, croissants and mini cakes. My sugar cookies have cooled so I take out the first tray and get to frosting them. I'm only about a quarter way through when I hear the little bell at the top of the door jingles to alert that there's a new customer. A little cliche and very non-Nigerian but I like it so...there. "옵바!(Minho!)" I say, happy to see him. He smiles and waves at me and I gesture to him to take a seat and that I'd be right with him. The man was already getting stares. He really was a handsome man. He has on a casual green hoody and jeans and his silky hair had that I-just-got-out-of-the-shower look. Trust Nigerians...they had probably analysed the poor man from head to toe. And Minho was the definition of oblivious to all of it. Jade, I notice, is already getting ready to "attend to the customer" when I stop her. "Don't worry, I'll go. I need you to finish up frosting these cookies." I say. "Ahnahn, Lady L...me sef dey find man na( I want a boyfriend too) Maybe he likes "vanilla flavor"". She says, naughtily with a wink. I can't help laughing at her behavior. "Jade, please, not now." I say, still smiling. "Boss lady, your friend is fineeee. Shey you no fit link us up?(Boss, your friend is handsome. Can't you introduce us?)" She says, giving me a hip bump. "You're a hoe but fine, I'll tell him you're interested. Now, can you frost these cookies?" I say jokingly, handing her the piping bags. She just grins like she's just won the lottery. "You're the best, boss!" She says, taking the tray of unfrosted cookies from me. I plate four of the cookies and put Minho and I two beverages before making my way over to him. "자(here), one decaf for you and lemon-ginger tea for me." I say, placing the cups down. " Thanks. I hope I'm not pulling you away from work. I saw you were busy when I came in." He says. "No, it's fine. It's not too busy today and they can handle it." I say, with a nod at my staff. "근데, 옵바...어떻게 왔니?(but Minho, how did you get here?) Minho laughs and says, "That's actually a funny story. I got in a cab and gave them directions to this place but the driver didn't speak English and so I wasn't sure whether or not he understood. We spent ten minutes analysing Google's translation before he brought me here and he kept laughing at me." I can't help laughing at his story. "I wish I was there so I could have recorded it. Anyway, try these cookies and tell me what you think?" I say, biting my lip and pushing the plate closer to him. Dang, I always did that when I was anxious about something... especially, when someone was eating what I made. "These are the ones you were icing just now? The ones you've been obsessed with perfecting at home?" He says, with a twinkle in his eye. "Yes." "와...are you finally going to let me eat the thing I've been begging to eat for weeks?" He says teasingly, picking up one cookie. I couldn't have been more tense. "Yes, now eat it." "Ahh, but I don't think I shou..." He says but I can't bare it. "Just eat it already!" I whisper yell. He just smirks and puts the cookie in his mouth. It felt like I was waiting for ages with how slow he was chewing until he finally swallows. I'm about to say something when he holds up a slender finger. He waits a beat, two...before finally saying, "Those are amazing!" "Yes!" I say, giving myself a fist bump. "정말? 넌 거짓말이 아니야?(really? you're not lying?)" "No, I'm not lying. It's delicious." He says, biting into another one. I finally relax enough to take a sip of my tea. We talk about random things and he says how much fun he's had in Lagos and how much he appreciates the experience. I tell him about Jade's crush on him and he just laughs. More people start coming into the bakery and I have to get back to work soon. I'm just about to get up when he blurts out, "사랑해(I love you)... I love you, Lola" Uhmm..what?! I drop back down I to my seat and just stare, blankly at him. "I fell in love with you ever since you enrolled in school. That's why I offered to be your tutor. I wanted to get closer to you." He says before finally, just staying quiet. I'm so speechless and I take a minute to process and collect my thoughts before asking, "Why are you telling me this now?" "Well, I'm going back home tomorrow and I don't know when or if well ever see each other again. And I couldn't go back without telling you how I feel." He says, in a rush. And for the first time, I see Minho looking flustered. "When we first met, you were so confused and using polite form with everyone, even people who were you get than you. You were so brilliant dedicated, beautiful and confident." Huh...if only he knew. " When we started talking, I lived how passionate you were, are, about things. How sure you were of yourself and how you never let things get to you. I fell in love with your mind and your culture and when you said you were going back home, I knew had to do something. That's why I decided to come with you. These past few weeks have been the best of my life." He says and I'm honestly just so shocked that I really can't say anything for the next few seconds. "Why didn't you tell me?" I ask, carefully. "I was afraid that you'd only see me as your senior and that you wouldn't want to be friends anymore. I'd rather be your friend than nothing at all." "Honestly, Minho oppa..," I start, sitting up on my chair. "I did have a crush on you about the first month when I just met you but I realized that it was just an infatuation and when you became my tutor, I thought you only saw me as a friend. I now value as a very good friend and older brother." I say softly, reaching for his hand and making sure that he gets the message. Damn, I just brother-zoned him... stupid! Minho just smiles and gives my hand a light squeeze before standing up. "I have to get back so I can pack my things. I'll see you at home." I simply nod not knowing what to say. I suddenly feel guilt and this voice in my head says that I turned him down because of Mayowa Koker. Nonsense... that's just nonsense. Hhmmmm...back to those cookies. Friday morning... "Can you guys please get our bags out of the car?" Serayah asks Jay and Taekyung. Tolu and I are at the airport seeing our friends off. And everyone is a bit down at having to go our separate ways. Serayah would be going back to Korea with the rest of the gang but Minho would go to the States first and then, later to Korea. Soobin comes to us and says in her little English, "This has been best ex-experience ever, in my life. Thank you." And as she stumbles, over the word 'experience', it just brings tears to our eyes. As they thank us for the experience and hosting them, we start bringing out gifts. Apparently, we'd all thought to give each other parting gifts. Tae hands me one for Simi and just solidifies his place in my heart as a sweetheart. Jay suddenly pulls Tolu into a hug and judging from the tear sliding down her face, I suspect it's more than what it looks like. It turns into a group hug when Saerom starts sniffling. I pull Serayah away, noticing that she'd been more upset than she should have ever since we woke up. "Hey Rayah...so I know there were sparks between you and Dayo, but he's not here. Are you okay?" I say, careful not to overstep. "Yeah, I'm fine, it's fine. It was just a fling, nothing serious. I'm fine" She says as she starts sniffling. I drop the subject and pull her into a hug when Minho taps my shoulder. "Can we talk?" "Yeah, sure." I say, stepping away from Serayah. "So...even though you rejected me, I want you know that I'm still here for you and that you can always call me if you need anything. I'll just 'climb okada' (board a bike)" He says, making me laugh. He then turns me around and places a dainty silver necklace with a lollipop-shaped pendant on my neck before turning me around again and whispering in my ear, "You'll always be my 사탕(candy)" Oh no, here come the waterworks. "Thank you." I whisper back and we hug again which turns into another group hug. I swear we hugged about ten times before they finally boarded the plane but not as many times as we waved goodbye. For some reason I still don't know, Koreans are big on waving and clapping. Tolu and I wait head back to the car and wait for their flight to take off and then wait some more in silence. I finally start the car and Tolu turns in the radio. We're strapping on our seatbelts when.. "~shining through the city with a little funk and soul~" We lock eyes at the same time and burst out laughing before driving off while singing our lungs out. "Light it up like Dynamite, whoa oh oh" Ahhh...me and my bestie, forever and beyond. And now, what in the world am I wearing for my date?!