Blend 13

“Mr Hachi, seeing my mum the other day go on about salt and pepper shakers made me think. Do you think me going on about pockets is stupid?” Clara sighed.

“Yes!” Hachi responded without any hesitation.

“So, I shouldn’t go on about it then?”

“Look, I don’t get it, but you seem to have a fascination with it. It makes you happy. Just because I think it’s something dumb to focus on doesn’t mean it’s a dumb thing.”

“But, like, aren’t there bigger issues in the world than pockets? Shouldn’t I be more focused on ADV or something? I mean, everyone who has come in seems to have a much bigger issue than me having problems with women’s clothes not having pockets.”

“Perhaps it’s silly to others, but is it silly to you?”

“Yeah, it is silly. Why don’t they have pockets?!” She was bordering on yelling this.

Hachi sighed. “I meant your fascination for pockets. Do you find it a waste of time?”

“Not really.”

“Then it’s not a waste of time. Every person is different. What we like, what we worry about. We are all different. Some people prefer full-cream espresso, while others enjoy Chai lattes. It’s ok to be different.

“I guess it’s ok to be different. Well, unless you are the pockets on clothing. That should be the same.”

“I take back what I said. You’re a lost cause.” Hachi sighed. Although he tried reassuring her that her obsession wasn’t stupid, he should have just said it was dumb and moved on. It would be far less exhausting that way.

There was some noise at the door; rather than the door opening and the bell chiming, there was a struggling noise.

“What’s going on?” Clara asked, but Hachi didn’t stay to listen to her question. He had already streamlined to the door, opening it with one hand.

It was an elderly woman who was struggling to enter the cafe with her walker.

“Would you like a hand with that?”

“Oh, if you would be so kind, young gentleman,” she replied.

Hachi prompted the door to open with his back as he gently assisted the woman in lifting the walker over the small bump of the door frame and into the cafe.

Clara wanted to help but didn’t know how and was worried she would get in the way. She was impressed by how quickly Hachi acted. For someone who acted cold, someone who his friends warned was insensitive; it didn’t look that way to Clara.

“I’m sorry, my walker is always getting in the way.”

“Don’t be sorry; it’s the design of the building’s fault, not yours,” Hachi responded kindly.

She slowly made her way to the counter, Hachi sticking close to her.

“What can we get for you today?” Clara asked.

“Deary, could I please order four coffees for takeaway?”

“Of course. What coffee would you like?”

“Would I be able to get two lattes, one flat white and a cappuccino?”

“Absolutely, all regular milk?”

“Could I get almond milk for one of the lattes? Regular milk goes through me like you wouldn’t believe.”

Clara, for a moment, thought, ‘That was way too much information to share,’ before she realised that would be something Hachi would think. That made her more sick than the image of the accident the woman was talking about.

“Of course,” Clara replied.

Hachi was observing Clara. She was doing a good job listening to this woman; however, at some stage, she made a somewhat disgusted look, and Hachi realised there was still more work he had to do to train her. She had yet to master the art of detaching oneself from the customers and becoming one with the coffee. He, of course, had no idea Clara’s grimace was at the thought of thinking like Hachi and not the woman’s comments.

Hachi also knew that if you walked in as a single person and ordered multiple cups of coffee, it meant one of two things: You were a coffeeholic like Hachi or buying for a larger gathering. Hachi had not met many people who would purchase bulk like him, so he assumed it was the latter. But before he could ask about the gathering, Clara added.

“If you would like to sit somewhere, we have plenty of seats available.”

“Oh no, if I sit, I may not be able to get up again.” She laughed.

“We would assist you if you require a hand,” Hachi offered. She looked somewhat unsteady on her legs.

“Oh no, your bladder doesn’t work as well when you get older. I don’t want to have an accident in your store, so I think I had better stand.”

“Fair enough.” Hachi decided to use this moment to pry into her gathering. “So, do you have a big event planned today?”

“I have a weekly quilting club, so I have to go get the coffee for the others. As delicious as I’m sure your coffee is, I couldn’t drink all this alone.”

“Sucks you got stuck with the job,” Haci joked as he and Clara started preparing the coffee in sync.

“I was the only one who could get them. The rest can’t travel very far now. Evidently, I can still walk. With the help of my walker, of course.”

“That’s still wonderful. You can do it. I think your walker is pretty cool.” Clara said as she finished up with the first Latte.

“Thank you, deary. I was thinking of having my grandson put some flame stickers on it.”

“You’ll be the most Badass grandma. It’ll teach the others not to mess with you.” Clara added, getting ready for the flat white.

“That or my knuckledusters,” The old woman added.

“You have knuckledusters?” Clara was shocked.

“No, I’m joking. Or am I?” She laughed.

Hachi couldn’t help but smile. He liked this witty fox.

“Oh deary, would you look at that wrap. It looks delicious. Would I also be able to get that?”

“Certainly, would you like the wraps to be lightly toasted?”

“Oh yes, deary, that would be splendid.” With that, Hachi got to preparing the wraps.

The grilled chicken and almond wrap was, as the name suggested, much more than that. The burst of flavour from the crunch of the almonds combined with the creaminess of the avocado and the milder taste of the chicken. Beyond that, it also had sliced tomato, which added colour, and it was all wrapped together like a big hug in the soft wrap.

Wraps were wonderful; best of all, they went well with coffee. The only downside was that the almonds could be a potential allergy for some individuals.

“Just be aware, there are nuts in it,” Hachi warned. He didn’t want to be responsible for the anaphylactic death of someone. Think about what the OHS would say about it. What a pain it would be to deal with.

“Oh dear, you don’t get to ninety-three without eating plenty of nuts.” She laughed and winked as Clara and Hachi looked at each other with red faces. This witty old woman was more mischievous than the two of them put together.

“Mr Hachi, it sounds like she is experienced in the latte and the milk”, Clara whispered.

Hachi was ready to kill Clara. She may have been doing an excellent job with the coffee, but now he had images he could not get out of his head.

“Oh, deary, you don’t need to whisper. My hearing aids struggle to pick up certain frequencies as they are.” She laughed.

Hachi couldn’t help but smile. But while he was happy to have a positive vibe in the cafe, he also wished they were more focused on the beauty of coffee.

You win some, you lose some, Hachi thought.

“Oh, I’m sorry to give you that mental image.” The woman laughed as she said this.

“Not at all,” Clara replied. “Most people come in and vent about their problems. Mostly surrounding ADV. So, it is nice to just have a light-hearted conversation.”

Hachi had to agree. These were the light-hearted conversations that weren’t taxing. They were what he longed every customer would be when they came in. Delightful and easy to deal with.

“When you are older, you treat every day like it could be your last.”

“Wow, I admire your strength in living life like that,” Clara said as she finished the third coffee and cleaned the machine for the almond milk.

“Well, being resolute like that also comes with age and experience. That’s why I wish for them to find a cure for ADV. Even though I may not need it at my age, young people like you, who have yet to experience a full life, should be given a chance at life.”

“We can only hope,” Clara commented. Beginning on the final coffee.

Hachi pulled the wrap out of the toasting machine. He didn’t have anything to say to the woman’s comments. He honestly didn’t care one way or another about whether they found a cure or not. All he cared about was making coffee and drinking coffee. Nothing else mattered. So, if he died tomorrow, he wouldn’t care. Though, to be perfectly fair, with the rate his body was breaking down, it probably was soon.

Clara finished making the final coffee, and they placed the four drinks in a cardboard carry holder and handed her the wrap.

“Thank you, both of you. I hope you have a wonderful day.”

“Thank you. We hope to see you again,” Clara and Hachi both replied as they assisted her out of the door.

“I hope I can be as strong as her when I’m face to face with death,” Clara commented as soon as she left. Hachi put his hand on her head.

“I have no doubt you’ll be fine. You’re stronger than you think.”

∘•········ʚ ♡ ɞ ········•∘

End of Chapter 13