Chapter Twenty-seven

Alejandra and Judy had packed their bags that night and we're leaving the hotel the next day. Judy was excited while Alejandra wasn't. She was thinking about the 'Help wanted' sign she had seen outside a coffee shop earlier that day. She needed a job even though she had accepted Nicolas' offer. She didn't want to be totally dependent on Nicolas' money, especially now she had been relieved of her job. 

Judy couldn't stop talking about the new flat and her room. Alejandra didn't pay attention to a thing she was saying.

"That way, I can watch my favourite shows while cooking. I can do both. Stress-free! What do you think, Ale?" Judy said excitedly.

Alejandra didn't respond and Judy became curious.

"Alejandra?"

Judy snapped her fingers in front of her face and Alejandra came back.

"Huh? Sorry, you were saying?" Alejandra said, no longer absent-minded.

"You didn't listen to anything I said, did you?" Judy asked.

"Yes...I mean...," Alejandra stuttered and paused,

"No, I wasn't!"

"What were you thinking about? Your husband, maybe?" Judy asked with a grin.

"Husband? Who?" Alejandra said, forgetting about the deal.

"Your husband, silly! Mr Nicolas!" Judy said happily.

"Oh! Him! Yes, I was thinking about him." Alejandra lied,

"It's just I'm a bit scared."

"Why are you scared? Let me guess, wedding fever?" Judy assumed,

"That's normal! I think? Soon-to-be brides have that all the time. Besides, you're marrying a good man. Someone who will take care of you and give you the happiness you truly deserve. You yourself said Brother-in-law is your right choice and has all the qualities of a good husband. Or were you lying about what you said earlier?" 

"I did say all that. Everything said it true. But I'm going to be away from you and Mum. I don't know how I can live without you both." Alejandra said.

"We'll always be here for you. Isn't like we are disappearing or anything. We're family and family sticks together." Judy said, being supportive.

She placed her hand on Alejandra's and smiled at her. Alejandra felt a bit relieved.

"I'm sorry, Judy! I wish I could tell you the whole truth but I've keep it a secret. I want you and Mum to have a better life." Alejandra said inwardly.

"Are you okay?" Judy asked worriedly, seeing the sadness in her eyes.

"Mhm!" Alejandra hummed with a nod.

"Okay! So," Judy said excitedly,

"How did you meet Brother-in-law? When did you both start dating? How come you never told me you were seeing someone and engaged?"

"Plus, where did he propose to you? At a fancy restaurant? On a boat cruise?" Judy asked.

"We-we met at..." Alejandra said, thinking of what to say without making eye contact,

"We met in a library."

"Library? What were you doing in the library?" Judy asked confusingly.

"I was doing some research for a project." Alejandra replied sheepishly.

"Okay! Go on...where did he propose?" Judy said enthusiastically.

"Im a café." Alejandra replied bluntly.

"A café? I expected a lot from him. Anyways," Judy continued.

"Judy, I'm exhausted and I need some sleep. You should too. You've school tomorrow." Alejandra said, leaving the balcony and walking to the bed.

"But I'm not sleepy yet. I'm too excited to sleep." Judy said, following her.

"Well, I am! Good night!" Alejandra said and covered herself with the duvet.

"Okay! Good night!" Judy said and joined her on the bed.

"I thought you said you weren't sleepy." Alejandra said, looking at her.

"Did I really say that?" Judy said jokingly.

Alejandra rolled her eyes and shook her head. She stretched her hand and turned off the lamp on the bedside table. 

The next day, Alejandra had her bath before Judy did. She was brushing her hair when Judy came out of the bathroom in a dressing gown.

"Get dressed quickly so that we can leave." Alejandra said and kept the hairbrush in her suitcase.

"On an empty stomach?" Judy asked childishly, unzipping her bag.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Alejandra looked at Judy who had a grin on her face. She sighed and went to answer the door.

"Room service!" A man said and rolled the trolley in.

"Thank you!" Alejandra said.

"Are you leaving, ma'am?" The man asked, seeing their bags packed and arranged.

"Yes, we are!" Alejandra replied.

"Okay! Would you like anything else?" The man asked.

"No, that will be all. Thank you!" Alejandra said.

The man nodded and left the room.

"Ooh! Breakfast is here!" Judy said cheerfully and left the suitcase,

"Hm! What do we have?"

"Tea bags? Nah! Toasts? Maybe! Juice? I think that will do. I'll leave the tea bags for you." Judy said jovially and took a slice of bread.

Alejandra watched her apply butter on it and take a bit out of it. She chuckled. She had a smile on her face and went to the trolley. She poured some water from the tea pot into a cup and put one of the tea bags in it. She added milk to it and a sachet of sugar as well. She stirred with a spoon and slowly drank the tea.

"Yuck! I hate tea!" Judy said.

"What's wrong with me drinking tea?" Alejandra asked playfully.

"Oh, nothing!" Judy said and drank the juice she had poured into a glass earlier.

They finished their breakfast; Judy got dressed and left the room with their bags. They walked to the lift and Alejandra pressed the button on the wall 

"Wait? How are we going to get all our stuff and have them moved to the new flat?" Judy asked as the doors of the lift slid open.

"I don't know. I haven't thought of it. But not to worry, I'll figure something out." Alejandra replied and they entered the lift.

"Okay! If you say so!" Judy said.

The doors closed and they arrived at the lobby. They walked to the receptionist's desk to return the key. 

"Excuse me, Miss?" Alejandra called.

"Yes!" The receptionist replied.

She wasn't the lady they had met when they first arrived there.

"We are checking out of the hotel. Here's the key." Alejandra said and placed the card on the desk.

The lady took the card and nodded. She looked at the number of their room on the card.

"I'll let the gentleman know that you've left the hotel. Thank you for staying at Dili's hotel!" The receptionist said friendly,

"Do come again! And have a nice day!" 

"Thank you!" Alejandra said with a smile and left the desk.

She rolled her suitcase to the door. She pulled it open and they walked out through it. They left the hotel premises and were outside.

"Where to next?" Judy asked.

"You'll go to school while I'll go to the flat and figure out how to get the rest of our stuff there." Alejandra said,

"And hope I get the job."

She prayed silently. 

"Taxi!" Judy waves down.

It stopped and they both got in. They stopped at Maverick University and Judy got off. Alejandra remembered the place where the coffee shop was and told the driver to take her there. The taxi pulled up at the coffee shop.

"Um, can you please wait for me? I want to get something from someone from there?" Alejandra said, as she opened the door and got out,

"Sure! But I'll charge extra for waiting!" The taxi driver said coolly.

Alejandra stood beside the passenger side and rolled her eyes. The window of the passenger's was wound down. She looked at the driver through the open window.

"Fine! Just wait for me!" Alejandra said.

The taxi driver turned off the ignition and turned on the radio. He kept his flat cap on top of the dashboard. Alejandra went into the coffee shop and surveyed it. It was packed with customers. She walked up to a waiter who had just finished serving a customer. She tapped him on his arm and got his attention. He turned to look at her.

"Excuse me?" Alejandra said softly.

"I'm sorry, Miss! There are no tables available right now." The waiter replied politely.

"No, I'm not here to order. Actually, I came here to apply for a job. I saw the sign outside of the shop and wanted to know if the spot is still vacant or has been taken." Alejandra asked calmly.

"Oh, follow me!" The waiter said.

He led the way and Alejandra followed. He walked to the kitchen and told her to wait for him at the entrance. Alejandra nodded and he went in. He returned with a bag of cocoa powder.

"Here you go, Irene!" The waiter said and handed it over to the waitress at the counter.

"Thanks!" Irene replied and collected the bag.

"Come!" The waiter said and led her to another door. 

He knocked on the door and walked in.

"Mrs Eva?" The waiter said as he walked in.

"Yes, Rodrigo!" Eva said, raising her head to look at him.

"She wants to apply for a job, ma'am." Rodrigo said.

"Is that true young lady?" Eva asked Alejandra.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Alejandra replied, a bit nervous.

"Hm! We'll have to see how good you are. Have you made coffee before?" Eva asked.

"No! I'm usually used to drinking coffee made by someone else." Alejandra said frankly.

"Latté?" Eva asked.

Alejandra shook her head.

"Can you make tea?" Eva asked.

"Yes, I can!" Alejandra replied.

"Really? How good is your tea?" Eva asked professionally.

"It's good but I'm not sure it's as good as a professional's." Alejandra said sincerely.

"I'd like to taste your tea before I give my final verdict." Eva said and stood up from her swivel chair,

"Rodrigo, get me a cup, flask with hot water in it, some tea bags and three sachets of sugar."

"Oh! I almost forgot. Bring milk too." Eva added.

He nodded and left her office. Alejandra continued standing until he returned with the items she requested.

"Keep it over there," Eva pointed at an empty desk.

Rodrigo did as she said.

"You can go back to work."

He nodded and left them alone. 

"What's your name, dear?" Eva asked calmly.

"Alejandra Ortega, ma'am!" Alejandra said.

"Well Alejandra, I need you to prepare for a cup of tea. Can you do it?" Eva asked.

"I can try!" Alejandra said nervously.

"Well, try your best! Show me what you've got. If your tea is okay and up to my standard, I might hire you. But if it's not, I won't hesitate to kick you out." Eva said firmly,

"Now, get to it!"

Alejandra walked to where the tray was. She faced upwards and poured some water into it. She added the tea bag and waited for the tea in it to dissolve in the water. The water changed colour and she took out the bag. She added milk to the tea and stirred with a spoon. She kept the cup on the saucer and a sachet of sugar on as well. She placed the cup in front of Eva, who was already seated.

"I didn't know whether you liked your tea sweet or plain. That's why I didn't add sugar." Alejandra said.

Eva glanced at the tea and Alejandra. She could tell from her facial expressions that Alejandra was nervous. Eva picked up the cup by the handle and took a sip of it. She kept it back on the saucer.

"I have got to admit, your tea is really nice. It's one of the best I've tasted so far." Eva said, impressed by her performance,

"Where did you learn how to make good tea? Have you worked in a coffee shop before?" 

"No, Ma'am! I worked as an illustration editor for a book publication agency. I learnt how to make tea from my dad." Alejandra said, feeling a bit relieved.

"Your dad must be a tea lover, I guess." Eva said cheerily and Alejandra chuckled.

"Having had a sample of your tea, I think my coffee shop could need someone like you."

"Does this mean I got the job?" Alejandra said excitedly.

Eva replied in a nod and had a warm smile on her face.

"Ah!" Alejandra cheered and remembered where she was,

"Sorry!"

"It's okay! You can resume today or tomorrow if you like." Eva said.

"Tomorrow sounds fine." Alejandra replied happily. 

"Okay! The coffee shop opens at 8am but my employees are expected to be here at 7am to get the shop ready for customers. Think you can handle that?" Eva said.

"Yes, I can! Thank you so much! I promise, you won't regret hiring me." Alejandra said.

"Seeing is believing, Alejandra." Eva said.

"Okay! Thank you again, Ma'am!" Alejandra said and left the office.

The other workers had been murmuring to each other and stopped when they saw Alejandra walk through the open door. They noticed the smile on her face.

"Do you think Mrs Eva hired her?" Irene said.

"I think so. She looks happy." Hugo said, holding an empty cup in his hands.

"I think you both should stop with the gossip and get back to work." Prudence said.

"Kill joy!" Irene scoffed.

Alejandra went back to the taxi. The bang of the door woke the driver who was asleep.

"You're back!" The taxi driver said and yawned.

He stretched his hands in the air and turned on the ignition.

"Where to next?" He asked.

She brought out her phone from her handbag and showed him the address Nicolas had sent to her.

"Here!" Alejandra said.

"Okay!" The taxi driver said and drove away from the coffee shop.

<>

Nicolas was in his office. He was lost in thoughts and couldn't stop thinking about Patricia and Ivan's conversation. He couldn't help but blame himself for his wife's death. He was still lost and didn't hear the telephone ring. It rang thrice but he didn't answer. Then, there was a knock on the door. 

"Sir!" Maya said as she came in.

She closed the door behind her and looked at him.

"Sir?" She called but got no response.

"Mr Nicolas?"

This time, he looked at her. 

"Don't you know you've to knock first before you enter?" Nicolas said coldly.

"I did, sir! But you didn't answer. I called you on the telephone but you didn't answer either." Maya explained.

"Oh! I didn't know it was ringing. Why are you here?" He asked plainly.

"I came to inform you that Mr David del Monte is here to see you." She said.

"Let him in!" Nicolas said flatly.

Maya nodded and left. She came back with David and returned to her duty post.

"Hey!" David said as he pulled up a chair in front of his desk,

"I came with the contract."

David placed the blue folder on his desk. Nicolas picked it up and flipped through the pages.

"My friend reviewed it and I figured you might need it. Since you're in a pickle." David said.

"Thanks! This is just what I need right now." Nicolas said and closed the folder.

"Glad I was of help! Anyways, I need to get going. My job here is done." David said and stood up from the chair.

"I've transferred some money to your account. That's the payment for your services." Nicolas said flatly.

"It's a pleasure working for you. I'm here at your service. Whenever you need to know about someone, David is the right man to call. I'll take my leave now." David said and left his office.

Camilo was walking past Nicolas'office and saw David leaving his office. David didn't see Camilo and entered the lift. Camilo was the one who had introduced David to Nicolas and knew the kind of job he does. He was curious to know why David came. He went into Nicolas' office and looked at him.

"What was David doing here?" Camilo asked curiously.

"I hired him to do research for me." Nicolas replied airily and quickly discarded the folder into his drawer.

"A new victim on your black list, I suppose?" Camilo said.

Nicolas didn't reply and had his eyes on the computer screen. 

"So," Camilo asked teasingly,

"How was your date yesterday with the future Mrs Gonzalez?"

"Good!" Nicolas replied plainly.

"When will you introduce her to me?" Camilo asked.

"Soon. When the time is right." Nicolas said coldly.