The Contract |On Hold While Editing

Jackson |About a year ago

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THE WARMTH OF SOPHIE'S, a cafe in downtown London beckoned Jackson to shelter from the cold drizzle. Jackson couldn't believe that the one time he went for a walk to clear his mind that it  started to rain.

The door bell jingled when he walked in and the smell of Coffee and yeast diffused into his nose as he inhaled. The scent triggering a memory of his mother baking bread when he was younger. He smiled recalling the scent of it baking, the echo of his mother's thick accent due to her Dutch heritage as she gave him instructions when helping her out.

His heart clenched at the memory. He was homesick and alone in London. London couldn't have been more different from his hometown if a person spray painted the city electric pink.  Stellenbosch was the polar opposite of this cold, dull and  grey city. Located in the western Cape an hour's drive away from Cape town, Stellenbosch was a vibrant town with traditional Cape Dutch architecture, scenic vineyard lined landscapes and like the rest of south Africa or Africa in general, sun.

Jackson looked around and instantly regretted choosing this place to shelter from the rain.

The café was filled to the brim with people. Some were  in a line waiting to place their  orders  and the others cluttered around circular tables. Each table had a menu written in white chalk on an A-5 sized black board and next to the menu, a bunch of blue hydrangeas sat in a small white vase.

The floors were polished to the point where one could see their own reflection and creaked when Jackson took a step forward. Stifling a yawn,he decided to join the line for a cup of coffee. Maybe the caffeine would inject some life into him and he could go back to work. Work. That was all he did these days avoiding going home at all costs.The only thing at his apartment was a warm bed which he wouldn't have minded diving into and shielding himself from the world.

He would have killed for that right about now. But the dead silence and loneliness that he felt everytime he woke wasn't worth it.

His eyes felt raw like someone had thrown a fist of gravel in them and he yawned yet again. Maybe he should just go home and sleep.

"Welcome to Sophie's,the best café in this side of town,what can I get for you?" A bright and cheerful voice said, drawing his attention to the ash blonde barista whose blue eyes rivaled the sparkling waters of the Galapagos Islands.

"I'll have some coffee,black with no sugar." He replied the young woman.

"And would you like something else to go with your coffee?We have Chelsea buns, scones with clotted cream and fresh strawberries,an eighty five percent dark chocolate croissant and  a cheese croissant." At the mention of food, Jackson's stomach grumbled. He had lost his appetite last night when his cousin,Carter had phoned  asking if he had received  the wedding invitation.

His fish and chips had remained untouched on the table and he chose to  turn the lights off and nurse a glass of brandy in his office. 

"I'll have the cheese and dark chocolate croissant." He said.

"Great choice. The croissants are a personal favourite of mine.Let me get your order ready."

"Thank you," he said,his fingers tapping the granite countertop as he waited for his coffee. He felt uncomfortable in this environment, totally out of his element. Snot faced toddlers and crying babies were not part of his daily routine. Neither were old men playing the ukulele and singing off key. At this point, enduring three root canals at the same time would have been better than this.