Chapter Two- A New Life and a Fresh Start
Clara hated flying! It was as simple as that. The seats were small and uncomfortable and the lady beside her smelled faintly of day old liquor, but Clara couldn't stop the smile from growing over her jet-lagged face. In less than a half hour they would be making their descent into London's Heathrow Airport.
They had flown all night and would be arriving at 6:30 am Greenwich Mean time. Since this was peak time for coffee houses her uncle would not be able to pick her up from the airport. She would have to take a taxi across the city to the Gilbey Coffee House on fifty-two Jamestown Road. She had been repeating the address in her head for a few hours now. She had a habit of losing things and didn't trust herself to keep up with the slip of paper which held her new home address.
Before she knew it the British countryside finally began to materialize into view. Her eyes grew wide as she saw that there was a fine layer of white powder blanketing the frozen earth, making it look like a winter wonderland. This was her first glimpse of her new home and very own paradise. Once the plane touched the runway her life would never be the same.
Clara rushed as quickly as she could through Customs and the baggage claim. After what felt like hours of battling large crowds and bumping into lost tourists, she was finally able to begin making her way to meet her uncle. Despite the bitter chill in the air Clara had the window of the taxicab down so she could not only see London, but smell and hear it as well. She luckily had already rummaged through her suitcases to layer on more winter wear before sliding into the awaiting vehicle.
"I am going to freeze my ass off here," she thought, pulling her jacket tighter around her already shivering body.
London was so different than the other cities her family had been deployed to. It was such an eclectic mixture of historic and modern. Never before had she seen such towering cathedrals and colorful markets. Despite the dreariness of the snow it was a beautiful and vibrant city.
Her eyes sparkled as she passed a group of school children walking in a huddle to their primary school. They were all dressed identically in little skirts, knee socks and jumpers. Even the girls wore cute little ties. "Do all school children wear charming little outfits like that here?" she asked the driver. The gentleman mumbled some garbled response as he cranked up their heater with an irritated scowl on his face. She missed being around children already.
The drive went by quickly despite the morning traffic and before she knew it they had arrived at her destination. The best way to describe the façade of Gilbey Coffee House is to visualize a country cottage or a rustic mountain lodge. Everything about the shop screamed "comfort" and "warmth". It was wedged right in-between a towering office building and a boating warehouse. The area of Camden was centered on the canal and boat lock so it was busy twenty-four hours a day. The air smelled heavily of fish, truck petrol, cooking grease, and of course, coffee.
Just as Clara was stepping out of the black cab a bushy bearded man flung open the café door. Steven Lanning was the polar opposite of Clara's father as far as looks goes. He was a bit stumpy and had a round belly from too many late nights at the local pub. He had a face full of gray whiskers that typically held the remnants of his morning scone. He had light brown eyes and a permanent red nose with freckles sprinkled across his cubby cheeks. Clara always thought he looked like a wind tossed sailor or fictional pirate. The one physical characteristic he did share with his younger brother was his warm, vibrant smile.
Before Clara could get both legs out of the vehicle she was swept into a squashy embrace. She breathed in his comforting smell of a mixture of coffee beans and firewood since he constantly kept a fire burning in the hearth for his customers.
"I know it's been a rough month, sweetheart but things are going to turn around now. You're home and now you can have a fresh start."
Clara nodded her head feeling a bit overwhelmed. She gave her best smile to her Uncle as he paid the taxi driver before she could protest.
They both grabbed an armload of suitcases and duffle bags and made their way into the shop. It was relatively busy but not overly loud. Most people where scattered around the room in various mismatched armchairs and shoddily upholstered sofas reading The Guardian or chatting quietly about work related business.
A multitude of heads turned to look at Clara as she shuffled in almost falling over from the weight of her duffel. Steven led her to the back of the shop with a proud grin on his face. Clara had grown into such a beautiful young women so he knew she would be the talk of the neighborhood before long.
They passed by the tables and sitting area until they reached the large display cabinet full of steaming, freshly baked pastries, pies, scones, cakes and crumpets. Clara's mouth began to water and she made a quick mental note of each one she wanted to try once she had a chance to unpack a little.
Behind the counter was a skinny young man with multiple piercings. He looked to be around nineteen years old. Clara was caught off guard and giggled to herself when she saw his lime green Mohawk towering over his head. Steven saw the look of amusement on Clara's face as he motioned for the young man to come over and help Clara with her bags.
"Ay-up who's the bird, Steve?"
Clara put her bags down and stuck out her hand to greet him.
"I'm Clara, Steven's niece from the States."
"Oh yes, I forgot you'd be arriving today. I'm Nicolas but you can call me Nico, all me mates do."
Nico grabbed Clara's hand and planted a moist kiss on her knuckles. Before she knew what was happening he began to move his way up her arm, peeling back her multiple layers of sleeves as he went.
"All right Nicolas, that is quite enough of that, young fellow," Steven laughed as he practically pulled the young punk off of the blushing Clara.
"I'm just trying to make this pretty thing feel at home, boss," Nico cooed as he scooped up Clara's entire luggage.
"Hey nice shoes, sweets," he said glancing down at Clara's lime green Converse All-Stars. "They match my hair," he said pointing to his shockingly bright mohawk.
" Ummm thanks, I usually try to add a pop of color to my wardrobe. It reminds me to not take life too seriously," replied Clara with a grin. Although lately it had been hard to remember that motto.
"Nicolas, please take Clara up to her apartment so I can check on the croissants in the oven," said Steven.
"No problem mate! " winked Nico.
"Nico is harmless, Clara…just a bit of a flirt. It's been awhile since we had a pretty young lady working around here and I think he is a bit excited," chuckled Steven.
Clara smiled and followed the lanky teenager up a narrow stairway situated behind the check out counter.
The duo meandered up the narrow stairs that spilled out into a dim hallway.
"This is your apartment, love," he said, pointing to an old doorway to their right. "Your uncle lives in the larger apartment one flight up."
He pulled a key out of his leather studded pants pocket and unlocked the door for her.
"I used to live here for almost a year. Your uncle let me stay here for cheap rent when I left Nottingham to move to London. I barely had a penny to my name, but I had to get to the city to start up my band."
Nico pushed open the door and held it open for Clara.
"It's small and always smells like coffee cake, but nothing beats being just a few steps away from work when you have the night shift."
Clara inspected the tiny apartment while Nico deposited her bags into the bedroom.
The flat was comprised of a small living room with a tiny gas fireplace in one corner and a two-person breakfast nook in the other. The décor of the living area reminded Clara of the furnishings downstairs in the coffee house. Everything was mismatched, old and faded, yet cozy. The kitchen was small as well, but it was clean and functional. It's beige wall color made her miss the vibrant red walls of her old kitchen. Down a short hallway were two doors. One was the smallest bathroom Clara had ever seen in her life. She could practically sit on the toilet and take a shower at the same time.
"Well, at least it will be easy to clean!"
The other door opened to a small comfy bedroom. There was only room for a simple yet snug looking twin bed, a full-length mirror, a small mahogany nightstand and matching wardrobe.
Clara walked over to the wardrobe and jokingly stuck her head inside.
"What, no passage to Narnia?" she jested.
Completely missing the joke, Nico smiled at her and began stacking her luggage on the bed.
"Take your time unpacking, sweets and have a rest. When you're ready just come on down and I will get you something to eat and start your training."
Giving her one last wink he turned and swaggered out of the apartment. She could have sworn she heard him whistling I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred as he walked down the hall.
"This kid is going to be extremely entertaining," she snickered to herself.
Clara immediately went over to her messenger bag and pulled out a carefully wrapped package. Bouncing slightly on the worn mattress of the bed she slowly undid the wrapping. It was a framed picture of her and her father taken after her first ballet recital. Mike was holding six year old Clara in his arms tickling her little belly. This was Clara's favorite picture of the two of them. After holding it briefly to her chest she put it in a place of honor on her nightstand. A silent tear ran down her wind chapped cheeks.
" Well…. we are home, Daddy," she sighed as she took one more look around her room before hitting the shower.
The week passed quickly as Clara did everything she could to memorize drink ingredients, learn British currency, refine her baking skills, and decipher words through Nico's thick accent.
Due to the rise in popularity of Nico's band he really needed to give up the night shift since that was when his band typically played. Taking on that shift really didn't bother Clara. Sleeping had not come easily for her the past few weeks anyways, and when she did sleep she was plagued by nightmares. She would be working from 11:00pm till 6:00am, so at least lying in bed wide awake in the dark would be avoided.
"Do you typically get a lot of customers at those hours, Uncle Steve?"
"Not as much as the morning and evening rush, but it is definitely still worth keeping it open all night. You will be surprised just how many people enjoy a snack at four in the morning. In fact you should meet one of our regulars this weekend," said Steven.
"Oh yeah, me mate Albus!" exclaimed Nico as he rushed past them with his arms loaded with a guitar and a music stand.
"Yes, the Professor is one of our long time patrons. We have to stay well stocked with lemon pie and mint mocha for him. He teaches at some private school outside the city and comes here quite often. I'm sure you will get a chance to meet him this weekend when you start your shift. He always seems to pop in when the café is at its slowest, normally late at night or in the early morning hours."
"Well, that should be fun to learn a familiar face," Clara declared as she licked off the icing on her mixing spoon before tossing it in the sink.
"I see Albus won't be the only one here with a sweet tooth," chuckled Steven, walking off to make a customer's double espresso.
A/N: So it looks like Clara will be meeting Dumbledore very soon. One can only imagine what that might eventually bring! Thanks for your support!