The next day Ben headed off to the Palace as Mal took off around the corner towards the bakery. She walked into the busy bakery to see a lovely heavy set brunette behind the counter. Along with a boy close to her age. The woman looked up, spotted Mal and motioned her to sit in the seats to the left of the bakery counter. "Michael go get your father please."
"Sure thing Mama."
"Please sit." The woman said to Mal as she offered her a strawberry filled croissant. Mal smiled up at the lady. "I read somewhere that you loved strawberries." She smiled at Mal who smiled back at her.
The lady went back to work and a heavy set man came from out back. He was covered in flour. "Excuse my appearance Lady Mal. We had a late order from the palace that needed my attention."
"If I am keeping you…"
"I…I heard you know your way about the kitchen."
"I do, can I help you?"
"Your outfit?"
"It will wash." Mal smiled. "And please just call me Mal. That Lady stuff makes me uncomfortable. Ben, King Ben did that to be a pest."
"I don't think our King…right, sure. And please call me Alonzo. My wife Anna Marie, her son's Michael and Blake and this lovely sweet thing is our daughter Marie."
"A pleasure." Mal said, starting to relax a little. She followed Alonzo into the kitchen where he handed her an apron. "Where can I start Alonzo?" Mal asked, hesitating to say the bakers name.
"I am making bread, can you knead the dough while we talk, I will pan the others I have already done." Mal nodded, remembering her time working for the good fairy when she was hiding from Freddie's father. She couldn't tell Alonzo this because, well no one really knew of Mal's time in the bakery, and that had to stay a secret. "I…I want to thank you for coming. I am sure we are both nervous about this."
"I am. What…what can I do for you, what can I help you with?"
"I want to know about him. I…want to know him, meet him."
"Anthony does love his mother. It's Lady Tremaine that has had a bad influence on him. I won't sugar coat it because I feel you have a right to know. He has not been a great kid. But he would defend his mother."
"Is he changeable. Like you and your friends?"
"If I didn't think so I wouldn't have allowed Ben to choose him."
"I'd like to meet him, when he comes. How is Anastacia?"
"well. Her mother still controls them, but she is kinder than Drusilla. Anthony doesn't know anything about you. Lady Tremaine refused to allow Anastacia to talk about you. All Anthony knows is that you were a baker."
"I actually find that comforting, at least they didn't fill his head full of lies about me."
"No. Most of the parents on the isle refuse to talk about the other parent. My friends, none of them know who their fathers were, or in Jay's case all he knew was his mother died having him. Jafar refused to speak of her, saying it was too hard. I have no idea who my father is. Same with my friend Evie and Carlos. So Anthony is one of the lucky ones, he will get to meet both his parents."
"he is lucky indeed. I am glad his mother took care of him."
"She did. She would starve herself before she let Anthony go hungry. He was one of the lucky ones for sure."
"I am sorry for how you kids were raised."
"It's not your fault. I don't blame anyone for that. I blame fear mentality and human nature."
Mal and Alonzo spent another hour talking while creating desserts for the palace and the customers. "You really know your way around a bakery Mal."
"Ben's head chef Mrs. Potts loves teaching. I spend last summer in the palace, and well, Ben is busy, so I went down one day to grab a snack, and the next thing I knew I was in a cooking class. And I loved it." She quickly thought up, as it wasn't totally a lie.
"well she should be proud you are a great little chef. Thank you for talking to me today about my son. How can I go about meeting him?"
"I will meet with Anthony when he arrives and see if he wants to meet you. They should be over August 25th. I'll know by the 27th. I'll text you."
"Thank you Mal. I will understand if he doesn't want to meet with me."
"I have a feeling if he actually gets the chance, he'll take it. It might be all Anthony needs. What should I tell him?"
"Please tell him all you want. I love Anna Marie now and she knew that when we married years ago it was out of a duty to my friend. But we have grown to love one another. She also knows I will always have a spot in my heart for Anastacia."
"Anthony will be glad to know you still love his mother."
"Do you have a picture of him?"
"Let me call Fairy Godmother and see." She called and the fairy sent one picture of Anthony that came over when Ben sent over the invites. She showed it to him. Mal could see Alonzo's features in Anthony.
"He looks a little like me."
"He does." Mal smiled. "Shall I text it to you?" He nodded, Mal could see tears in his eyes. She quickly sent it to him. He hugged her. He walked over to his wife to show her.
"Thank you. At least I have this if he doesn't want to meet me." He turned to Mal. "And what you have shared with me."
"You do indeed." His wife told him. Mal waved to the family and left the bakery. She walked back around the corner to the hotel. Now she had the rest of the afternoon to do whatever. She tried texting Hayley, but she wasn't answering. So she went to her room, took a shower to wash off all the flour and then went out to shop. She was walking on a side street when she called Evie.