Desserts & Dramas

Chapter 7

 After a successful engagement dinner on Friday night, Alice spent Saturday at Tomas' house, leaving the apartment empty for Sofia during the weekend. She was quite happy with the time alone to recover from the whirlwind of emotions that had been the party. She was happy for her sister, apprehensive about the opinion of her work, worried about the future of her company, and, she had to admit to herself, a little shaken by that guy's rudeness.

In the few moments she was at home, Sofia took the time to relax and not think about anything that had to do with gastronomy. However, Saturday and Sunday afternoons were the busiest times in her bakery, so she usually spent the weekend working.

As Sunday was a warm and sunny day, she decided to go for a walk to clear her head and pick some flowers to embellish the store and her mother's house. Sunday was always the traditional lunch at her parents' house, where her mother cooked one of her specialties of Scottish cuisine, the family's origin.

When she arrived at the square, she stopped to observe the atmosphere of the place. The trees with vivid foliage, the bushes dotted with flowers, the birds making a commotion in the sky, and the heat on her shoulders indicated that there would be many warm days ahead. Around the square, the merchants were already opening their stores and the cafes and bakeries were running at full speed to handle the demand of customers. Many families were out for a stroll with their children, pets, and even the elderly people were showing up in large numbers to have a good time. It seemed like a scene from an old movie, in a country town where everyone knew each other, but they were in a big city, where violence and criminality thrived in other regions.

The newsstand and the flower shop belonged to the same owner and were in the center of the square, different from the rest of the shops. She didn't understand how newsstands still existed with the technological revolution so intrinsic in people's daily lives, but it was enough to visit them for the first time to understand. The owner, Mr. Valdomiro, set up several tables and chairs with board games, served coffee to the majority, and beer to the more daring. Sofia loved to visit him on weekends to pick up flowers and see the mess of families, as if they were one big family. When she was not on her shift on the weekend, Alice used to accompany her sister to relax as well.

Sofia decided to choose the flowers first. She picked a bouquet of country flowers for her mother in shades of pink, orange, yellow and white. For the bakery, she chose some foliage and yellow orchids to put at the entrance of her shop, a detail appreciated and often commented by the customers, because every week there was a different flower and arrangement.

She then went to the newsstand and decided on a cappuccino instead of a strong coffee to lighten the day. She was wearing a short-sleeved summer dress with a green floral print, matching her mood for a peaceful and pleasant day. Or it would be if she hadn't spilled her coffee. Again. On that same guy. Again. If she could open a hole in the ground and swallow her, it would be better than facing that situation. Again.