𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐀! 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐬

ꜰɪᴠᴇ

Unpleasant Encounters

Evangeline and Aurelia were working flat out when Wilhelm arrived early the next morning. It was unusual for a Tuesday morning to be so busy, but Wilhelm settled himself at the edge of the counter while he watched Evangeline and Aurelia work.

They worked so well together, Evangeline and Aurelia. While Evangeline took the in person orders, Aurelia worked on the takeaway orders which continued to pop up on the screen. They danced around each other, moving perfectly in sync despite the small space they were made to work in.

However, that perfect dance was suddenly disrupted when one English woman with straight, flat blonde hair waltzed into the café.

Aurelia's face changed, her eyes leveled on the woman, a fearful expression overtaking her face. Wilhelm watched as she took a step back from the coffee machine, her hands shaking slightly. She kept her eyes on the woman.

"Aurelia," Evangeline said, also noticing the change in her co-worker's behavior. "Aurelia," Evangeline reached to touch her arm, but Aurelia flinched violently, taking another couple steps away.

Wilhelm looked to the woman, who was fasting approaching the counter. Turning back to the girls, he saw Aurelia whispering in a hurried but hushed tone to Evangeline. Without warning, Aurelia threw her apron up over her head and discarded it to the side, before disappearing behind the white door which led to the back room.

Evangeline glanced to Wilhelm, and mouthed 'mother'. Before he could ask any questions, the woman came to a stop in front of the counter. She lent against it comfortably, her hands clasped together. Evangeline looked slightly scared, and Wilhelm tried to hide his distaste for the woman's perfume; it was positively overwhelming.

"Hi, welcome to Rosknopp. I'll be your server for today, my name is Evangeline. What may I get started for you, ma'am?" Evangeline asked in her confident, customer service voice. The woman didn't look pleased.

Looking Evangeline up and down pointedly, the woman waved her away dismissively. "No," She said in a snarky tone. Her English accent was unmissable, "You won't do. Get me my daughter, will you. Save me your excuses!" She continued, sounding almost offended as Evangeline tried to get a word in, "I saw the little bitch here as I walked in. Tell her to grow up and talk to her mother like a big girl. Ignore her whining when you tell her too, she always does that. The dramatic little prick she is".

Evangeline pressed her lips together firmly, as if she was forcing herself to not say a word of defense on Aurelia's behalf. Wilhelm watched her carefully; it was becoming apparent that this well dressed English woman would be a problem. He caught her eye. Evangeline gestured for him to follow her into the back room.

"I'm going to kill her," Evangeline exclaimed protectively, as the door leading to the back room swung closed. "I've gotten some rude customers before, but she is just evil. How do you talk about your kid that way?"

Wilhelm bit his lip; he was unsure how he was meant to help in this situation. "Lia said she lived upstairs, in the apartment above the café?" He asked, "Is that true?" Evangeline nodded as she started to pace. With her hands on her hips, she blew out regular, even breaths, in an attempt to calm herself.

"I might head on up, check on Lia if that's alright," He suggested, "Are you going to be alright dealing with her?" He genuinely was concerned for the woman's health at that moment - Evangeline was looking murderous.

But, despite her expression, she nodded, pursing her lips. "Yeah, I can deal with her," She replied. She cocked her head to the side, "Might kill her, still under decided".