It's always been the same, day in and day out. The same woman would come in through the door of the bakery 'round noon, look for a bit, and then leave without buying one thing. This is driving me nuts, if she's not going to buy anything the next time around then I'll just have to ask her to never come again, it's bad that she's not helping my business.
I look towards the clock placed on the far wall, 11:55am, about five more minutes and she should pop her little self in here. Those five minutes passed, and sure enough she came in as if right on cue, the bell overhead indicating her entering. Her hair was short and tidy and peach in color, and today she wore a teal and blouse with a sheer top, and a simple pair of white khakis.
She acknowledges my presence by giving a simple wave which I return, and then I resume to leaning upon the top of the counter, admiring her every move.
She was the only customer in the shop at the moment.
The woman stops in the middle of the shop, eyeing our freshly made cinnamon rolls, a homemade recipe as a matter of fact, given to me by my mother Sapphire. Bending over, she takes in a big inhale while holding back a stray hair so it wouldn't get in the way. Then, she stands upright once again, and proceeds around the rest of my tiny bakery, admiring the tiny sweets and pastries crafted by yours truly. After looking at the cinnamon rolls for the last time, she makes her exit, and as usual DOESN'T BUY ANYTHING!
I'm literally fed up with this and hastily make my way to the door calling out to the woman, "Ma'am, oh ma'am?"
She turns around with one swift motion and looks me in the eye, what a beautiful shade of blue.
"Yes, umm… Garnet?" It's obvious she looked at my nametag to address me.
"I literally see you come in every single day, and every single day you do not purchase a thing, A THING. I hate to do this, but if you insist on not buying anything, then I'm going to have to ask you to come in and never come back. I don't just make my pastries for people to smell and NOT buy."
She appears startled as I finish my rant. Flustered, she cannot seem to find any words to say and tries to avoid contact.
"Oh dear, this is embarrassing," she replies, "I'm sorry if I don't buy anything, I'm not trying to be rude or anything. But…"
And then she stops, her eyes still avoiding mines, and a blush upon her cheeks that gets redder and redder by the minute.
"But what?"
"Well, the only reason I come in here everyday… is to see you."
All I could say was a simple, "What?"
"Oh dear, how do I put this….ummm. I've always admired you from afar, ever since I saw you one day when you were bringing a delivery to my job. I work as a desk clerk at the big office firm down the street."
"You were the one, with the pale blue pencil skirt and the white ruffled blouse," I stated as I crossed my arms.
"That's right, I'm surprised you remembered."
"I only remembered it because you brought it up."
"Right, well….. oh my… I couldn't keep my mind off of you ever since, and when I found out where you worked, I figured I come by and just see you."
"So you've been spying on me, seems a bit creepy don't you think?"
"Oh no no no no no, I'm not stalking you, it's just…."
"Spit it out."
"I think I like you."
And then dead silence.
"You, like me?"
"I think I've said too much." And she tries to make a break for it to prevent further embarrassment. I instantly grab her wrist to prevent her from leaving.
"No, are you serious?"
Silence.
"You were talking to me earlier, cat got your tongue?"
"N no."
"Well then answer my question."
"Yes."
"So you do?"
"Y yes. I do."
Silence.
"It's ok if you think I'm crazy, or if you're not into that sort of thing. So I'm going to leave now."
"No, you're not crazy."
"What?"
"Listen….ummm?"
"Pearl, my name is Pearl"
"Right, Pearl. What say we talk about this over a cup of coffee? I get done with my shift around 2, and there's a lil café off the corner."
"Oh coffee? Ummm, that would be nice."
"Cool, how about you come back here five minutes early, and we can walk down together."
"Well of course, sounds like a plan."
