The Rancorous Heart

IV

The car ride to the bakery was a culture shock for you to say the least. Things have changed so much since you went to prison. From the stores you've once frequented were either closed down or became different stores all together. The people walking through the streets listening to music on their phones was the most shocking to you as Mr. Ray patiently helped you with the questions you had.

You were wearing a simple black tee shirt and a pair of jeans that you picked out from  Tara's donated clothes. They were awkward on you, the clothes being a tad too big on you to the point of using a belt to keep the pants on you. 

Arriving at Mr. Ray's bakery, he parked his car at the back entrance as you unbuckled the seat belt; the two of you got out of the car together. The bakery was a decent sized building, giving off a retro dinner aesthetic with the vintage neon 'open' sign and the Tiffany blue trimming around the back door.

The smell of fresh pastries filled the air as the two of you entered the bakery's kitchen. The three bakers were working diligently at their tasks. The older woman was icing a chocolate cake with acute precision while a younger guy who looked as if he was in his early to mid 20s  was cleaning up the dishes while a man around your age was scolding the younger man while he kneaded the dough.

"Mark, cut the kid some slack. We have a newbie that I would love for you all to meet." Mr. Ray speaks up, the three employees stopped working and went towards the both of you. 

"You may have known them from the news reports but don't let the media control your opinion about them. This is (y/n), our newest employee." Mr. Ray continues, tenderly placing a hand on your shoulder- reminding you of how a grandfather would behave. 

The younger man was first to walk over to you. His golden toned skin and amber colored eyes were a stark contrast to the sleeves of tattoos running up and down his arms or the piercings on his lip and eyebrow. 

"I'm CJ. I'm the guy who cleans up the place and works on the machines when they act up." He looked at you, his warm eyes reminded you of how Stu used to look at you when you first started dating. Swallowing the bittersweet memory, you shook CJ's hand and introduced yourself. 

While CJ walked back to the sink, the older man limped slightly over to where you stood. "I'm Mark. I've been baking since I could walk." His accent was thick, noticing a large scar over his mouth. "I'm (y/n). I hope to learn from the best." You responded, being polite as Mark let out a hearty laugh.

You shook his hand, avoiding staring at the scar. men like Mark are always best to not stare at his scar, you moved your sight towards the cigarette that was tucked behind his ear. He walked back to the stove, placing the pastries he was working on inside the oven. 

 The woman gently placed the icing pipette down before making her way to you. Her grandmotherly form was nostalgic to you as she gave a warm smile to you. Her short dark grey hair was covered with a hair net while she took off her gloves to shake your hand. 

"I'm Geraldine, sweetheart. Everyone around here calls me ma. Nice to meet you." Ma's warmth was a pleasant change compared to the older ladies you occasionally talked to back when you were in prison. 

"Yall are will have plenty of time to get to know our newbie once we get done with paperwork." Mr. Ray guides you towards the kitchen exit, into the main building. The trio of employees nodded at their boss as they got back to work. 

The aesthetic of the main room was rather modern but with vintage tables and booths, a record player displayed towards the middle of the dining tables. A low hum of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" echoed out of the jukebox. 

Mr. Ray takes a seat at one of the tables as you sit across from him. "Given your education while incarcerated, I'm going to have you work with CJ to help you learn the maintenance and work on the main register." You nodded in response as Mr. Ray continues to talk about the expectations and rules to you. 

The bell rings as Mr. Ray finishes giving you the contract and legal documents to sign. Mr. Ray moves his attention towards the man who entered the bakery. 

You tried to not eavesdrop on the conversation between the two men. "I have a pickup for Stu Macher at noon." You quickly move your gaze up, seeing one of the men that you loved talking to your now manager. 

Stu looked more mature, his face now starting to show his age as a pair of expensive glasses properly framed his face. Your stomach was churning as you felt your heart pick up its pace. 

It was damming to see Stu after all these years. You were on a cusp between wanting to hide in the restroom before he has a chance to see you but you also want him to see you and be scared of what you're capable of doing- as if you're a ticking time bomb, waiting to expose everything you had against him and Billy.

"Your order will be up in 5 minutes, feel free to take a seat. Would you like any coffee or water to drink?" Mr. Ray offered as Stu politely asked for a cup of coffee before turning around.

His icey eyes looked at you widely. It was as if he saw a ghost when he saw you. You looked back at him coldly, trying your hardest not to fuck up your second chance as a free person, most importantly not to ruin your plan of vengeance.

 'You can't get revenge if you end up going to jail for assault.' You thought to yourself as an attempt to keep your composure. Stu walked towards the table next to you, placing his suitcase onto the table. You moved your attention to finishing the paperwork, not wanting to make things obvious. 

A side of you wishes that he wouldn't think much about you and not notice that it's actually you. But you knew in your gut that Stu knows, if he's with Billy still, Stu already knows about you. Hell, he probably even knew that Billy called you last night. 

You could feel his eyes observing your every movement. It's either because he hasn't seen you in all these years and the memories are flooding to him or if his intentions were to try to keep you quiet about them. The air around the room felt like it's closing in on you the longer Stu looked at you. 

It was almost suffocating when you decided to turn your attention towards Stu. "Didn't your parents teach you that it's rude to be staring at someone." Your comment was an half attempt to bring the topic of his parents up out of annoyance, half you being tired of being watched like a carnival freak. 

"I can't say much at the moment. But all I want to say is we need to talk asap and that I'm sorry for everything." Stu hands you a slip of paper from his suitcase with his number on it. You quickly pocketed the paper in your Jean pocket as Mr. Ray comes back to retrieve the papers from you and to give Stu the coffee and his order.