THE CONFESSIONS OF A CEO INCOGNITUS

CHAPTER THREE

Two years later, Esther walked into a café that had just opened for business. She had heard about it, but never thought of visiting. But on this particular day, she was in the mood to try new things and buying coffee from this new café was one of them. As she pushed the door open and walked into it, the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her pleasantly. She was already sure she was about to have a wonderful coffee experience. She walked straight to the counter and asked for her favourite brew of coffee. Luckily, they had it, and it came with a portion of free muffin of her choice. Impressed, she made her choice of muffin, paid for her cup of coffee and took a seat.

When she had the first sip of the coffee, the taste was so distinct she blurted out “heaven is real!” Behind her, a voice responded, “I believe!” She turned around and a handsome Middle Eastern man wearing an apron greeted, “Good morning my lady, I am glad our coffee made an impression. Heaven is indeed real.” Laughing, Esther greeted him and introduced herself. He introduced himself as well, and quickly gave a short history of the coffee bean. “Wow, I must tell you, the ethical part of this whole process is what I find most impressive.” Esther said. “You sound like you own the business.”

Asking her permission to sit, which she agreed, he then told her about his passion for running cafés for tea, coffee and snack lovers always on the run. “You could have used the vending machine, if you wanted to. I’m sure you didn’t notice we had that service.” Surprised, Esther replied, “You vend hot beverages and snacks? How is that possible?” she asked. “With technology, so much is possible, my lady. Everything you find in our vending machine is available and accessible in one minute. Insert your credit card, then push the button of your choice, and in seconds you’ll walk away with your order.” Excited, Esther responded, “No way! That’s interesting. I am going right away to try it.” He beckoned her towards the vending machine, and Esther tried her choice of snack and beverage as listed.

Indeed, everything came out in one minute and Esther was stunned. She commended him for such phenomenal service and offered the snack and beverage to him. “Here, take this! This is for a job well done, Abby!” He accepted her offering and thanked her. “You bought me breakfast. I should buy you lunch. What do you say?” Without delay, Esther responded, “I would love to have lunch with a genius.” He thanked her for accepting his offer and told her to choose the day, time and place. “Nhm! I am very expensive.” She teased. “I’ve worked hard enough; I believe I can lift the weight off your expense.” Both of them laughed and enjoyed their breakfast together.

When Esther got home that evening, she invited Naomi for dinner. She found Abby interesting and wanted to share her feelings with her sister. “So, this Abby guy is Middle Eastern? What’s his full name?” Naomi asked. “Absalom!” said Esther. “Nhm, does that mean he is from Israel?” asked Naomi. “Your name is Naomi, and my name is Esther. We are not from Israel.” said Esther. “We are not middle eastern,” said Naomi. Exasperated, Esther snapped, “Naomi, I called you here to share my feelings for this guy, and not to probe about where he is from. Can we just focus?” Embracing Esther, Naomi apologized and told her she didn’t mean to upset her.

Their conversation continued and Esther shared how she felt when Abby spoke to her and gave her the freedom to choose. “If I wanted to say something, he allowed me to speak until I told him I was done talking. And then, he would talk. He is a good listener and I like that about him.”

“Yeah, it’s hard to find a guy who listens with a good intention,” Naomi said, “So, this Abby guy sounds good so far. Did you say he owns the café?”

“Oh yeah, he owns the café,” said Esther. “He lives in Iceland and runs a successful café there too. So, he came to Tanzania to test his café model, seeing it’s a tourist hub. He’s hopeful it will be successful.” “And then what?” asked Naomi. “I don’t know! I mean, I haven’t thought of it. Listen, I am not in a relationship with him yet. But I think he likes me, and I like him too. I’d rather take it one day at a time.”

“You know Esther; I am trying hard not to seem like a pessimist. You know I love you, right? If he lives in Iceland, he will go back to Iceland. If both of you ever start anything, are you willing to move to Iceland? And if the café fails, which is very possible, he packs up and leaves and may probably want to forget everything about Tanzania. Think about it sis, or better still, talk to papa about it. He might advise you better. I don’t think you should start what you can’t finish. And honestly, I have no enthusiasm for someone who runs a café. That kind of business won’t stand the test of time. Remember what happened during the pandemic? People brewed their own coffee and baked at home. YouTube will teach you practically everything about baking and brewing. When the chips are down, cafés will go down with them. This is my opinion.” Disappointed, Esther replied, “Are you ever going to have anything encouraging for me? The only thing I seem to have done right by you is being your sister and getting a degree. You should go home. I need to be alone.” Naomi tried to pacify Esther, but Esther wouldn’t budge.

After Naomi left, Esther cried and regretted sharing her feelings with her. She knew Naomi loved her, but she couldn’t understand why nothing she did ever impressed her. She wouldn’t say her feeling for Abby was love at first sight. But compared to her last relationship, there was something about him that made her feel secure and at peace. When she got over her emotions, she decided to have a talk with her father about Abby. She called her father, and he agreed to meet her at the café in two days.