The Girl He Won't Remember

Chapter 19

"These egg custard tarts won't serve themselves!" Kenji barked, "And where are the cakes? Lily, you were supposed to make the cakes!" It was a busy day at the bakery, and I was beginning to wish that I hadn't taken Jin's advice about working there. On one hand, I lived in the lower ring, and had wake before the sun to make it to the middle ring of the city in time for work, just for this old man to yell at me for every little flaw. On the other hand, it all felt worth it. I hadn't seen Zuko and Iroh since I'd been settled in, which meant living life would be that much more simple. I had, however, gone on one or two dates with Jet. Of all things, that was something I would've never guessed.

I ran to the counter and grabbed a tray of egg custard tarts, then swiftly carried them to a table whilst evading the customers walking around me. I ran back to the kitchen to check on the cakes that Kenji swore that I'd forgotten about, burning the palm of my hand in the process, all while my employer shouted commands from the backroom that served as his hideaway from work. I cleaned up after a toddler that had dropped his cabbage cookie, treating him to a mint candy and another cookie to hush his crying. I served mango juice and fried dough to an uncomfortably flirtatious business man, who was thankfully shooed away by an older woman when he refused acknowledge his rejection. All of this, and it was not even noon yet.

Business slowed down just enough by late afternoon. I took this opportunity to clean up behind customers and clean flour from myself. As I untied my apron to clean it, the door to the bakery opened. I turned around to greet our new visitor.

"Smellerbee told me she'd seen you working here, so I figured I should pay a visit," he said.

"Hello again, Jet," I said, my required smile becoming a fairly genuine one. "What can I get for you?"

"I'm not here for anything to eat," he shrugged. "I just thought we could get together again sometime. Maybe tonight?"

"Jet, I've to wake up early to get here on time," I said. "I can't afford to stay out late."

"Come on, Lily." He flashed a smile. "It'll be fun; it can just a quiet night. We'll even go to that tea shop nearby."

I hung my apron on its hook on the wall, smiling inwardly. "Tonight," I answered. "You'll meet me at my apartment, and you won't be late."

"It's a date," Jet smirked, then looked away. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that he was blushing again.

As the sun began to set that night, after cleaning the entire bakery and sneaking a few leftovers into my bag, I closed up shop and headed home. I hopped onto the trolley and plopped onto a seat, closing my eyes. "A hard day at work?" A familiar voice laughed. I opened my eyes to see Jin sitting next to me, smiling. The moment I smiled back, she was already gripping me in a hug. "It's so good to see you!" 

As badly as my body ached, I returned the gesture. "I've missed you, too," I said. 

"I didn't think that I would actually see you again," she said when she broke the embrace. "I mean, it's such a big city. What are the odds?" She laughed. "So how are things at the bakery? Are you enjoying it?"

"If there's one thing I've learned since coming here," I replied, "it's that Kenji sounds remarkably similar to a chattering hog-monkey when he's yelling at me." The trolley came to my stop. I stood up. "You should come by the bakery sometime soon," I said with a smile. "Then you can show me the fountain you were telling me about." We said our goodbyes, and I stepped out into the road. It was almost completely dark. I walked down the alley towards my apartment building. Two little kids, Manami and Shou, sat against the wall, waiting for me.