With A Cup of Coffee, Please

The Painter

"Yes, I'm here to join Jamie Laurier," told Miya the clerk. "May I have your name?" she asked through her round glasses. "Miya. Miya Laurier." After flipping through a couple pages, the clerk stood up and signalled Miya to follow her to a table, where a woman in her late 20s sat.

"Your dad will be arriving soon, Miss Miya," said the lady in a formal suit. She had dark blue hair, still the same as when Miya last saw her. "When is father never late, Nima?" sighed Miya as she took the seat next to her. "I should remind you to keep your manners when he's here. You know how strict he is with you," scolded the secretary, prompting Miya to straighten her back. With a sigh, Nima replied with a smile, "Still late as ever, Miss."

At a young age, Miya's parents' had divorced. With her dad's busy schedule and her mom cutting contact soon after, Miya was left without a parental figure. Nima, who at the time was a newly-hired secretary for her dad, decided to be the young girl's first friend. During her day off, Nima would visit their home to spend time with the girl. They played, cooked, watched movies, and did all kinds of activities.

At first, Nima had done it out of pity, to distract the girl from the sad reality of her situation. But as they spent more time together, Nima began to develop a motherly connection to the young girl; she'd occasionally cook for her, help her with homework, and would sometimes sing her to sleep.

The dad, however, believed that Nima was holding his daughter's potential back, and so threatened to fire her. Not wanting to put Miya through losing another loved one again, Nima pleaded with Jamie to let her stay. He agreed to do so under one condition: Nima is not allowed to be as close as she was anymore.

As agreed upon, Nima began to keep her distance from Miya and acted colder towards her. It pained Nima. She was forced to hurt the girl she wanted to protect, to keep her from suffering any worse. But despite the agreement, Nima was still there for Miya whenever she needed it. As a result, they, who used to be inseparable, became just friends.

The two reminisced as they waited for Miya's father. They'd joke about mistakes they've done, and get melancholic about sadder memories. Jamie arrived a little later, taking a seat without acknowledging his daughter. "Sir..." called Nima, pointing her head to Miya. "Oh, Miya. What are you doing here?" he asked, fixing his slouch with a sigh. "It was your plan, was it not?" asked Miya, trying to hide her anger behind her poker face.

"So, how's the art school for you? I hope you've been acing everything there... it's not even the best, so you should be," started Jamie.

The two had not begun talking until their appetizers first arrived, Jamie only discussing his schedule with the secretary, Miya not eager to start a conversation. "I have been keeping my record straight," she answered plainly, taking a bite out of her bruschetta.

Just as she was about to chew, her father clicked his tongue. "Just how long will it take...for you to learn simple dining etiquette, Miya?" sighed her dad. Without a word, Miya put her cutlery down slowly and sat up straight, as if she were a mannequin.

"Miya, just...remember next time," Nima said, trying to get the girl to eat again, only to frustrate the dad instead. "Nima, the girl needs to learn manners if she is to take after me. If left alone, she's only going to make an embarrassment out of the name Laurier," scolded Jamie. Miya was slightly shaking, holding back tears while staying as stoic as possible. Jamie, however, had a keen eye for every tiny detail, and her trembling had only further stressed the painter.

"Leave it."

Jamie stood up from his seat and began to leave, before turning around. "If you wanna be like your mom, fine. Don't drag me down with you," vented Jamie. Before he turned to leave, Miya muttered something. "Speak up if you have something to say, Miya."