Three Means Coffee

39

After returning, the brother drove Makary to his apartment so as not to leave Nemo alone for longer than necessary. Anyway, he wanted to call Błażej and he just preferred to be alone then, he knew that at home everyone would pretend not to eavesdrop when they were doing just that. The family was just curious about who turned Makary's head so much and they secretly competed with each other to see who would be the first trusted one to get the most information. Kornelia took the lead temporarily.

Hazel-eyed took a shower and sat on the couch with a gift in one hand and a phone in the other. Makary was tempted to open the gift right away, but he only looked inside. He saw a slightly smaller package signed with his name, and under it, only the ornaments mentioned by his sister-in-law. He decided that it would be a pity to hang them anywhere, so he took them to his parents since he didn't have a Christmas tree at his place, except for a small, symbolic one, which was another seat for Nemo anyway.

Finally, he carefully unwrapped his gift and smiled when he saw a black notebook that looked inconspicuous, but its inside indicated nothing more than a recipe book. He laughed softly, he had been cooking for many years but had never owned one.

Grandmothers were famous for having notebooks with handwritten recipes with yellowed and dirty pages or binders with those obtained in women's magazines or entire supplements that came out of them. In today's era, when everything can be found on the Internet and saved as a bookmark, no one seems to need them. After all, the devices were already able to tell you step-by-step what to do.

On the first page there was a special place to write the owner's name, which Makary was happy to do, and to prove it he took a photo of this page and sent it to Błażej, thanking him by the way. He decided to write recipes for dishes that would be associated only with him or would find a special place in their shared history. While waiting for his answer, Nemo decided that it would be appropriate to check out the new item that appeared. However, after a few pecks, the parrot decided that it was neither tasty nor fun to play with and went back to the cage to swing a bit.

Makary wondered if Błażej had already opened the gift from him. He didn't want to ask directly, he was just worried about whether he'd like what he'd chosen. He turned the phone over and over in his hands, oblivious to the fact that he had silenced the devices and not restored the desired settings. So he didn't notice that the answer had come sometime earlier.

"I'm glad you like it. Can I use it as a menu later?" asked Błażej in the message.

"Of course!" said Makary enthusiastically tapping the phone screen.

He wanted to write something else, but Błażej beat him to it with a photo in which he is covered with his gift - a warm blanket. Makary remembered how often he mentioned that he liked the warmth and wished that sometimes he didn't have just this item, so he decided to buy it. He just sighed in delight, and after a moment shook his head, as if he didn't know what he should do now.

"I don't regret getting you this as a gift, but I wish I was in that blanket's place..." Makary, when he sent this message, wondered, and tried to imagine Błażej's reaction to its content. He must be beet red, he thought, and suddenly felt his own cheeks turn that colour as he let his imagination go a little farther than it should have.

"Then I would like to be in the place of your present since you can hold it in your arms..."