Blend 5

Hachi prepared the coffee cup. A dirty chai shared many similarities with standard chai lattes, but it contained an espresso shot. In other words, it was a stronger chai latte. With milk, masala chai and coffee, there were many components to balance. Yet Hachi was excited to make it. The more difficult the coffee to make, the more it demonstrated his skill and love for making coffee.

While he was preparing the coffee, Clara was busy warming up the lamb and rosemary filo. Although Hachi wasn’t a baker, he had an arrangement with a local bakery. They would bake the pastry and bread so Hachi could sell it at the shop.

However, it also meant it was expensive and dependent on customers. With dwindling customers, it was becoming increasingly costly to maintain. That’s why he opted to rotate the pastries. Sometimes, he would go for sausage rolls; other times, pasties, and occasionally pies. However, he was currently selling filos. Since they came freshly prebaked, they required warming up before serving to the customer.

Just as Hachi completed the dirty chai, Clara brought out the Filo. Hachi set the coffee down in front of the customer.

“Wow, this is beautiful!” They exclaimed.

“Thank you. I hope it also tastes good.”

Although he responded calmly, he was ecstatic to hear they thought it was gorgeous, and while he acted like the taste was still to be decided, Hachi knew it would be perfect. A dirty chai made by Hachi was a magnificent work of art. They clearly had a great eye.

“You said you were questioning. Perhaps we can help you out.” Clara grinned excitedly at them.

Hachi thought about scolding Clara for harassing them, especially after identifying that this customer wanted to be left alone. But before he could chastise her, the customer responded.

“Well, if you’ll listen, I suppose I could do with some advice.”

This caught Hachi by surprise. He was certain they would want to be left alone. Perhaps it was the comfort they were feeling in the café that led them to accept Clara’s offer. Whilst it was good that they felt comfortable, it also meant Hachi now had to listen to their problems. What a drag.

“Wonderful.” Clara clapped her hands together. “So, what’s on your mind?”

“As I mentioned, I’m questioning my identity at the moment. I think I may be trans, but I’m not certain yet.” They mumbled.

“Well, why aren’t you certain?” She asked without even a shred of consideration as to the deeper, nuanced emotions one may experience on such a significant life journey. To Clara, it was a simple black-and-white, yes-or-no situation.

“Well, I know I don’t have much time left. ADV means I have, at most, a few months left.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Hachi chimed in. If he commented now, it meant he could probably slack off later.

“Thanks,” They replied before continuing. “I want to live life on my own terms. But I worry that if I come out, I will lose all my friends and family. Also, what if it is a mistake? What if I change my mind? I may have ruined all my relationships.”

“Well, it sounds to me like either way, you are going to die soon, so the only choice is whether you wish to be happy or not. Am I correct?” Hachi joined the conversation.

“That’s right. I want to live happily.”

“Then it sounds like you are unhappy now, are you not?”

“Well, I don’t want to live a lie any longer. I sort of wish for ADV to take hold sooner rather than later.” They sighed.

“Well, not in my store, please,” Hachi commented.

“Hachi!” Clara exclaimed, scolding his indifference. “Well then, it sounds like you can’t be happy if you don’t live the way you want. So why not give it a go?”

“But I can’t help but worry: What if my family rejects me?”

“I guess then it’s their loss. Also, you can find a new family, people who care about you.” Hachi added. “You are always welcome to come here. So long as you aren’t thinking of working here. One brat is enough.”

“Hey!” Clara complained.

The customer began to laugh. The dark mood had lifted slightly.

“Anyway, what we are both trying to say is that you sound like you’re unhappy now. Nothing is going to change unless you embrace this journey.” Clara softly added. The way she said this was almost calming.

“But I could be alone, which might be worse,” the customer mumbled.

“But it may not be. It's possible that it's the right decision, and they may support you. Staying the way you are now guarantees you will be unhappy. Don’t you want to at least give it a try? Why not take that chance?” Although her tone remained calming, the way she smiled was bright enough to light up the entire room.

Hachi could tell that in the short time Clara had met the customer, she had identified the customer's troubles and created an environment where they felt comfortable. She was talented. She had a real knack.

Perhaps having her around was a good thing, Hachi thought to himself. She might be fit to take over the café once he was gone. Which, judging by the blood this morning, might not be too long.

The customer looked up at Clara; it was one of the few times they had actually made eye contact throughout the entire time in the café.

“So you’re saying it would be better for me just to rip the Band-Aid off?”

“Based on what you said, that sounds like it would be the thing that makes you the most happy.”

“Thank you, I feel a bit better. Can I ask you another favour?”

“Sure,” Clara responded.

“Would you stay with me if I send a message to my family telling them how I feel?”

“Absolutely. We will offer you the emotional support you need.”

“Thank you.”

“We will let you enjoy your meal and give you a chance to craft your message,” Hachi commented as he made his way back behind the counter.

After twenty minutes had passed and the customers had finished eating and drinking. Their phone began buzzing like crazy. Hachi took this opportunity to make another cup of coffee. Another dirty chai.

What does it say?” Clara asked.

“Basically, it says although we don’t understand, we will support you.”

“That’s wonderful,” Hachi replied, placing down the second dirty chai.

“I didn’t order another dirty chai.”

“That’s alright. It's on the house. Think of it as a celebration for your efforts,” Hachi responded. He honestly didn’t care about the money, while it was important to keep the doors open. His real passion was serving coffee. It didn’t matter if he made a profit or not. It wouldn’t matter how rich you were when you were dead.

The customer began to cry. This, in turn, caused Clara to cry.

Meanwhile, Hachi cried in his heart; while the other two were crying, they weren’t appreciating his coffee. That was a true tragedy worth shedding tears for.

They thanked Hachi through their tears and drank the coffee. Shortly after, they left, no longer awkward and somewhat depressed but smiling from the bottom of their heart.

“Mr Hachi, can I ask you something?” Clara asked.

“No.” Hachi had dealt with enough today already. He couldn’t handle another of Clara's questions on top of it.

“Please,” She begged with big puppy dog eyes.

“Fine.” Hachi caved.

“You seemed to handle that person well today. And you never seem to look at me despite being a really cute girl…”

You think awfully high of yourself, Hachi thought to himself, but he knew she would beat him senseless if he said that out loud. His body was still in a delicate state; he couldn’t afford to upset her.

“… well I was wondering. Is the reason you seem to show no interest in romance because you are perhaps gay?”

Hachi looked coldly at her. Although he considered responding, ‘Why does it matter?’ He knew that would create misunderstandings that would persist and cause more issues. It was too much of a hassle. So, instead, he answered her honestly so she would drop the whole conversation.

“My love is only for Coffee.”

Clara looked disgusted at Hachi. She slowly approached Hachi, and in a whispering voice, she asked:

“You don’t do ‘that’ with the coffee, do you?”

Hachi didn’t even provide a response to that. It didn’t deserve a retort. It was not worth the effort. He could spend that effort making beautiful coffee. And so that’s what he did.

Although Hachi opted to ignore her comments because of their outlandish nature, the lack of response was perceived as confirmation by Clara. The vindicated of such suspicions meant she couldn’t look him in the eyes for the rest of the day.

∘•········ʚ ♡ ɞ ········•∘

End of Chapter 5