Blend 16

The days ticked ever closer to the end. If he were lucky, Hachi would probably have a few weeks left. Realistically, he was probably looking at only a week.

“Hachi, you aren’t looking well. Is everything ok?”

“Everything’s fine. I’m just tired. I need more coffee.”

“Isn’t too much coffee bad for you?”

Hachi shot her a dirty look.

“I meant for most people. Not you, of course, Hachi.” She fumbled out.

Before Hachi could lash her with further retorts, the door opened, and a woman with a large stomach entered the store. Hachi suspected she was pregnant, but he would never inquire out of an abundance of caution—caution and tact that Clara clearly did not have.

“Oh my God! Are you pregnant?”

Hachi was about to smack her with a newspaper.

“I am. I see you noticed my little bumpy boo.”

She got lucky this time.

“How wonderful, when is bumpy boo due?”

“Two months,” The woman responded. Hachi noticed there was something darker but didn’t want to press. He was already exceedingly tired. He didn’t want to expend even one additional thought on something that wasn’t coffee-related.

“Well, what can we get for you and bumpy boo?” Clara asked.

“Can I get a decaf latte?”

Clara looked at Hachi, expecting him to be infuriated. She was prepared to protect the woman by throwing herself between the two of them.

“Certainly.”

Huh? Clara thought.

“Huh?! Hachi, are you feeling alright? You are alright making decaf?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I thought you would be all purist about it.”

“Decaf is still coffee, and it is an option for pregnant people who should avoid coffee and other caffeinated drinks. Personally, I prefer to be caffeinated, but I don’t have a problem with someone who wants decaf.”

The woman nodded along.

“Do you have any sensitivities regarding the milk or any preferences?” He added.

Actually, I’ve been finding that standard milk, soy, and almond are all not the best, but I can suffer through it.” She smiled.

“In that case, what about coconut milk?”

“Coconut milk in coffee?” Clara asked.

“Yeah, it’s good,” Hachi responded.

“But is it vegan?”

“Yeah, why?” Hachi responded, confused. Why wouldn’t it be vegan? It was a coconut, a fruit. Also, what did any of this have to do with coffee?

“It’s got fur, yeah?”

“I guess?” Hachi was dubious about where this was going, but he decided he would see where she was going.

“It’s got milk.”

“Yeah.”

“Flesh.”

“I suppose you could call it that.”

She paused for a moment before commenting. “So it’s a mammal, right?”

“No,” Hachi responded, exhausted by her shenanigans.

“Do mammals have those things?”

“I suppose.”

“So, it’s a mammal?” She said somewhere between a question and an assertion.

“No,” Hachi was truly exhausted. If she was not done, he was going to need to go out the back to crash for a bit. However, he also knew Clara had never made coffee with coconut milk before. What a drag; he would have to put up with it a bit longer.

She suddenly shouted, “Hachi!”

“What?”

“Do you think coconuts have pockets?”

“I’m leaving?” Hachi took off his apron and headed to the back of the store. He was spent.

“Hachi! We need you; there is coffee to make, customers to serve.”

Reluctantly, Hachi returned. He did it for the coffee and nothing else. The woman took up a seat towards the corner of the store. Hachi noted that it was a convenient place to sit as it offered a bit more protection from bumping others and was easier to get in and out of. Not that it mattered in an empty store.

Hachi turned his focus to making the coconut milk decaf latte. There were a lot of elements that made this more complicated than another latte. The coconut milk was particularly fickle in how it needed to be prepared to bring out the flavours of the coffee.

It was one of the harder milks to balance by itself. But with decaf as well, that job got much harder. He would have to alter the temperature slightly to ensure ample flavour was extracted while maintaining the consistency one would expect from a latte. Of course, the milk would alter the taste, so he had to account for that. This would be a challenge but a worthy foe to vanquish before his demise.

“So, are you excited about little bumpy boo?” Clara asked.

“Can I be honest?” She sighed.

“Sure,” Clara smiled.

Fuck. Why did Clara have to ask her that? Hachi thought, now he would be dragged into another prolonged conversation, one he really didn’t want to be a part of nor could exert that much energy for.

Hachi placed the coffee on the table. It was a masterpiece, to say the least. He definitely went up and beyond for this coffee. If this was going to be one of his last, he could die knowing he absolutely nailed it. This would be discussed for centuries among the conclave of baristas that somehow survive ADV. Perhaps its perfection would even be the cure for ADV. That’s how perfect it was.

“To be honest, I am a little scared. I’m bringing a child into the world, but I’m going to die not long afterwards. I feel a little guilty; I worry about it.”

“Have you made plans about what to do when that happens?” Clara probed.

“I’ve tried, but everyone is set to die around that time anyway.”

“I’m sure that’s an issue for after the baby is born.”

“If the baby is born.”

“If?”

“ADV, babies born already exposed to ADV have a much shorter life expectancy than the typical year you would have if you caught it.”

“I didn’t know that. I’m so sorry.” Clara apologised.

“Sometimes I think it would be better if I died—that way I wouldn’t bring Bumpy boo into this cruel world. But every time I think about ending it, I can’t. I’m scared. I don’t want to die.”

I don’t care. Focus on things that matter, like coffee. Hachi continued to think.

“It sounds hard. What do you think, Mr Hachi?” Clara asked, shifting the focus to Hachi.

“I don’t know, whether you give birth or kill yourself, that’s up to you. As long as you don’t do it in here, I don’t really care.”

“Hachi!”

“What?” Hachi was drained from the conversation. He wanted to have a coffee.

“You shouldn’t say things like that!”

“Why? I’m just a café owner. I make coffee. That’s what I do. I don’t care about anything else.”

The woman looked shocked by Hachi’s bluntness. Perhaps she was expecting a more tactful answer. Though Clara lacked tact surrounding initial encounters, Hachi threw the diplomatic option out the window as soon as he got tired.

“So, what would you do if you had to choose between death or the knowledge you were going to lose something meaningful to you?” She asked.

“If I lost the café, I would kill myself.” Hachi’s response was without hesitation.

“Mr Hachi!” Clara seemed shocked.

“So you think I should kill myself?” She looked down, somewhat depressed.

“I don’t think anything; I’m not your brain; you do your own thinking.” Hachi sighed again. Why was everyone else so draining? Coffee wasn’t this draining. That’s why he liked coffee; it was easier to deal with.

“I think what Mr Hachi is saying is that this is something that is much more complicated and should be discussed with your loved ones and doctors. Don’t make rash decisions based on what we say here in a café.”

“Ok, I’ll talk it over.”

She took a sip of the coffee.

“Might I say, this is the best dang coffee I have ever had.”

A small tear fell from Hachi’s eye. He had to be quick to wipe it because there was a small amount of blood mixed in that he didn’t want to show. But he was truly happy about the reaction to his coffee.

After she had left, Clara turned annoyed at Hachi.

“Mr Hachi! Were you serious back there?”

“About what?”

“About you killing yourself without work?”

“It’s not work; it’s coffee.”

“You value coffee more than anything else?”

“That’s correct.”

“Perhaps you should go out and touch some grass.”

“I will touch some beans instead.”

“That’s not going outside.”

“They grow on trees, so it counts.” Before Clara could say something in reply, he added one last jab. “Kind of like coconuts.”

∘•········ʚ ♡ ɞ ········•∘

End of Chapter 16