Lousy Morning

An ordinary, sunny day in Ryusejima. In fact, my second morning on the island after 9 years.

“Here’s your omelet, sir. Enjoy!” I give a smile and a polite bow, as I place the order in front of the customer.

“Thanks for the food.” He said, bringing his palms together as I retreated back inside the shade of the shop.

Today is my first day working in “Natsu Café”, my grandma’s shop. I’m currently managing both the cooking and serving alone, as per the boss’ orders, while SHE relaxes on the couch watching cooking shows, supposedly resting her back… In fact, she even woke me up bright and early while saying something along the lines of “Now that you’re here, you might as well make yourself useful!” Of course, that’s the reason I’m here, but I have to say, it still put me in a foul mood first thing in the morning. Not to mention I have to wear this long-sleeved shirt and formal pants in this scorching heat, and let’s not forget about this stupid apron!

I sigh as I glance at myself in a nearby mirror, and my eyes immediately wonder at the floral apron tied around my waist. It’s decorated with pink flowers and green leaves while a small black square is placed in the middle, with the Japanese lettering for Natsu Café printed inside it in white color. And before you ask, yes this was the only apron I was allowed to wear…

“Phew…” I wipe the sweat forming on my forehead and lean against the counter, observing the customers eating their breakfast. Despite my discomfort and annoyance, I try to keep the most professional face possible in front of the customers. Thankfully, there are only two groups right now, both of them sitting on the terrace. One of them is the sole tourist that I just served the omelet to, and the other is a couple of tourists enjoying some cold tea.

Just as I was about to relax, a certain tanned girl wearing her hair in a ponytail came waltzing in, exuding cheerfulness..

“G’moorniiing!” She voiced enthusiastically as she walked to the counter and sat right in front of me.

“Morning.” I shrugged and leaned back on the kitchen counter behind me.

“So what you gonna serve me, mister waiter?” Hana asks, a small smirk tugging at her lips.

“Uhm, nothing?” I narrow my eyes at her.

“What? But I’m paying!” She threw back, annoyed.

“Don’t caaare…” I shrugged once again, taking some juice out of the fridge, and pouring it into a glass.

“Hmmm, so that’s how you gonna be?” She crosses her arms over her chest while I raise the glass and gulp down its contents.

“Maybe I’ll tell Ms. Natsuno about this… Neglecting a customer like that, who knows, you might even sleep in the street tonight!” Hana gave me a mischievous grin as I choked on the juice.

“…Damn it.” I said in a low voice trying hard not to choke. Soon I got my bearings back together, as I fixed my apron and put my professional face back on. What Hana just said, was something my grandma would definitely do after all.

“Welcome to Natsu Café! I see that you are already seated, so what can I get you, miss?” I smile professionally as Hana’s grin grows wider.

“One oolong iced tea, please!” She winks, delighted at the idea of bossing me around.

I know I had it coming, but it still pisses me off…

“Of course, coming right up!” I reply like a normal, professional waiter as I turn around to make her drink.

“Hey, so…”

“Yes, miss? Can I get you anything else?” I reply to my customer’s prompt.

“Pfft… So… W-what’s with the apron…?” She tried to contain her laughter, bringing a hand over her mouth.

“Oh, shut up!”

While Hana was enjoying her leisure drink, most of the morning in the café flew by, as the few customers I was taking care of took their leave.

“Thank you for visiting Natsu Café, do come again!” I wave at the couple leaving our establishment.

“For all your complaining, you sure work like you’re enjoying it!” Hana commented walking around the terrace with a spring in her step.

“As if…” I voice dejectedly, plopping down on a nearby chair and removing my apron.

According to my grandma, we only get customers in the morning and in the late afternoon or early nighttime. And that’s because there are a lot of other establishments that serve better lunch options than we do. Like for example, Daichi’s family shop, whose expertise is traditional fish dishes. Of course, that’s to be expected, since Natsu Café, is in fact as the name suggests, a café. A place to relax and have a leisure, small meal.

“Oh, Hana.” A voice called out, and we both turned to face the main road. A middle-aged man stood there, dragging a deep purple bicycle alongside him.

“Hey, Dad! What’s up?” Hana perked up.

Dad?!

“Oh! Is that?!” She stood up and walked hastily out of the terrace.

“Yep, finally fixed. Now it’s all yours.” Her father said, obviously talking about the bicycle next to him.

“Sweet!” Hana exclaimed as she grabbed the purple handlebars.

“Oh hey, Yukio!” Her father finally turned to me, as I moved closer to the terrace railing, overlooking the road.

“Hello, Mister…” I couldn’t seem to recall his name though.

Damn it!

“…Izumi.” So I used his last name instead.

“Haha, you can call me Jiro, son, don’t worry.” He gave me a small smile.

It’s getting really frustrating to be remembered by people, who you don’t remember in return… Though there is a significant age gap between us…

That was Hana’s father, Mr. Izumi Jiro. A tall and lean middle-aged man with black hair and dark-colored eyes. He had also grown a patchy beard that I don’t remember him having before, but that could have also been only in my head. I don’t remember what he was doing for work though, that part was still a little fuzzy.

“Okay then, is Jiro-san acceptable?” I ask.

“Haha, sure thing, Yukio.” He said as he walked closer. “You’ve really grown up, kid. You’re almost taller than me.” Jiro-san tapped my shoulder, as his lips formed a melancholic, maybe sad, smile.

Is seeing kids grow up, supposed to be… a sad thing? I guess I’ll learn when I experience it myself…

“How’s your dad doing?” He asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Oh, he’s…” I remember the last talk we had, and how he forced me on this ship, and suddenly I want to talk trash about him, but I quickly shake that thought away.

I’ll give him a piece of my mind when I get back…

“…Good. In fact, more than good.” I finally give my reply.

“Heh, that’s good to hear.” He gave me another smile of the same nature as before, and soon turned to his daughter.

“Hana, you can play around with your bike, later. We need some help down at the shop.”

And with an attitude for work resembling mine, she sighed. “Okay, I’ll be there in a few…”

Shop, huh?

As I tried to recall the nature of it, her father retreated back inside their house.

“Yukio!” An excited voice startled me.

“Woah, what?” I took a step back as Hana jumped over the railing.

“Let’s go on a bike trip up the mountain!” She proposed, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

“Sorry to break it to you, but do I look like I own a bike?” I narrowed my eyes at her almost immediately. I think I can rent one, but I don’t really like the idea so much that I’d go out of my way to pay a large sum of money for it.

“Oh come on!” Just as Hana was about to start complaining, my grandma came out onto the terrace.

“Why are you slacking?” Was the first thing she said, in her usual annoyed tone.

Just then, and as if a light bulb popped into existence over Hana’s head, she turned and grinned at my grandma.

Yeah, you could try, but there’s no way…

­

“Thank you, Ms. Natsuno!” Hana smiled at my grandma as we stood in front of a shed.

...She’ll help us?!

To my surprise, after Hana asked her if there was a bicycle lying around, my grandma directed us to the shed just behind the building.

“Now let’s see what we have here!” The delighted girl voiced, as she entered the surprisingly big shed.

“I swear she’s showing favoritism! If I were the one that asked, who knows what kind of sharp tool she would have hurled my way?!” I start complaining as I enter the shed behind Hana, and take a look around.

“That’s because you lack charm, Yukky!” She gave me a cutesy smile that made my eyebrow twitch just slightly.

This girl…

I try to ignore her as I lift the sheet over what looks like a bike.

“Ha! So here you are!” I say, but I quickly shallow those words back down as I reveal a bunch of gardening tools instead.

“Pfft…” Hana just laughs on the sidelines.

“Okay… How about here?!” I lift another sheet, refusing to back down and reveal... what’s this? Certainly not a bicycle…

“Hahaha!” Once again, Hana laughs, in what seems like a mocking way to me, holding her sides.

“Stop laughing!” I complain walking over to her.

“Okay, observe the REAL pro, now!” She straightens up and cracks her knuckles. “How about HERE?!” She lifts another sheet, possibly the last one in the shed, and ta-da, there’s a bicycle underneath!

Ta-da my ass! Are you kidding me?!

“Oh come on…” I grumble, before I start inspecting the old-fashioned bicycle. “Does this thing even work?” I ask, clearly unconvinced.

“Oh, that was your grandpa’s bike!” Hana comments.

“Yeah, it sure looks like it. Hell, this might even be older than him!” I run a finger up its dusty body and notice my skin turn up grey. It’s painted in a greenish color that has mostly faded giving it more of lime green hue. The handlebars’ shape is different than those of modern bikes, as their ends bend inwards.

“Oh come on, after a small clean-up it will be as good as new! Come on, let’s ask Ms. Natsuno!” Hana grabs my collar and drags me out of the shed without waiting for a reply.

I just hope these old-ass brakes don’t snap… Man, I’ve been using the word old a lot since I came here…

Finally, after following Hana (Against my will, of course), we got the okay from my grandma to wipe the dust off my late grandpa’s bike. She even informed us that he was using it a year and a half ago before he passed away, meaning it should be up for regular use, although I’m planning to give it a good check myself, just to be sure.

After the bike trip plan was back on track, we decided to go right after Hana’s business over at the shop was over. Natsu Café was mostly closed during lunch hours anyways.

“I’ll be off now, catch you later! If you need anything I’ll be down at the shop!” Hana waved in her usual cheerful tone, as her voice became more distant by the second. Seriously, where does she find all that energy? Probably somewhere I don’t bother looking.

“…Down at the shop, huh?” I murmur to myself while cleaning a table on the open terrace with a damp cloth.

“Do you remember her family owns a diving shop, right near the island’s port, or have you forgotten about that, too?” My grandma commented, probably overhearing my own little comment.

I’ve thought about that yesterday too, but for her age, her hearing is ridiculously good!

“A diving shop…” I try to search around my mind for something that will help me remember.

”You used to play together right around those parts, everyday too. Something about diving always got you two excited. I swear you were such a handful for your mother…” And at that moment, it clicked. As if the mention of both diving and my mother revealed a hidden part in my brain that was locked away. Blurry images of me and Hana playing in the shop as kids. Chasing each other around near the beach. My mother scolding me for being reckless, but always patting my head afterwards.

Seriously, what is wrong with me? Why have I forgotten things about my life here? What is this? I’ve never felt like this before… Is it… the island? Or…?

As I try to jog up that memory even more, a headache spreads throughout my forehead, reaching all the way to the back of my head. Reflexively, I wince and click my tongue.

“Heh, it’s okay if you can’t remember.” Grandma gave a chuckle and patted my back unexpectedly.

Wow… That’s the first time she's nice to me since I came here!

“Thanks.” I reflexively smile and feel the headache subside significantly.

“Now, stop slacking and get back to work!” She did a complete 180, snapping back to her usual, grumpy self, as she started bossing me around.

“Yes ma’am!”

I take it back! She’s not nice at all!

Seriously, what a lousy morning…