Picture Perfect II

Chapter 5: The Coffee Shop

Part 1

To my surprise the big boss man himself walked in looking rather cheerful, with an extra spring in his step. For a second I thought it was Keletso walking in, I thought she timed her entrance perfectly with Lerato's exit; I watch too many movies.

A second later Lerato was gone and I was face to face with Nicolas "The Nickson" Bridges. A big white man who looks like a retired wrestler, blonde hair, simple fashion sense and a vicious business finesse. I think he's more black than white though, he enjoys kasi cuisine, partakes in community upliftment projects and was actively involved in the Fees Must Fall campaign by offering students free meals and bottled water during protests. He's a white man who gets it.

He understands his privilege and acknowledges that people in his position need to do more for the communities that are responsible for their businesses thriving. Not to say he's an angel or anything but I'm grateful for the generous part within him.

"Good morning everyone, Thapelo can I see you in my office." He said as he walked past me. Okay, I wasn't expecting that to be honest, my heart sank and I thought I was definitely getting sacked today. Maybe he realised that I was stealing alcohol? What if someone sold me out? Shakes? Maybe Lex, he doesn't seem to like me too much. No, maybe I messed up the orders, I've been so distracted as of late, only coming to work because I don't have much of a choice.

I need this job, I need a new place to live, I can't crash at Shakes' forever and I need to send something home to help out. This is definitely not how I imagined my day going. Gloria whispered "Ayeye" and giggled a bit, I didn't find it amusing. I lost the love of my life and now my job? Did someone put a hex on me? Maybe I'm being pranked.

"You're probably wondering why I asked to talk to you. Please shut the door... Have a seat." I sat down and immediately thought about explaining why I've been behaving the way I've been but he got down to brass tacks before I even had a chance.

"Tell me, how would you feel about taking on some extra responsibility?" he asked as he went behind his desk to retrieve a few documents. I said nothing, I was stunned.

"Well, this bar, like many of my  business ventures is growing at an exponential rate and I need extra hands at the top, I won't be around as often from next week so I need you to be up to the task as the new manager."

"New manager?" was all I could mutter with a bemused expression on my face.

"Yes, I was playing the role of higher management and manager for quite sometime and I'm not able anymore because it's time consuming. Of course the new position comes with its perks; A salary increase and a set of wheels, plus you won't have to wear the uniform since you'll be out most of the time handling suppliers and whatnot."

I was listening but I couldn't hear him, the information wasn't registering, me? Manager? What?

"Now don't get excited" he continued. "It's still work, not a vacation or an invitation to slack off but it's a step in the right direction. You've been the most consistent worker here, even outperforming your peers who have been here longer than you have and I've noticed. Also, you have a degree and it's time someone gave you your big break. It's do or die kid."

My head was spinning with questions but my mouth wouldn't open.

"The car isn't an Uber for your friends or girlfriends, it's not much to look at but it should get you from point A to B so you can go about your business. You'll have to consult me on anything major but you are in charge for the most part when I'm not around. So, what do you say? If you say yes, you start immediately with your "new" job because I need something handled downtown. You'll also have to find a replacement soon because you'll be short staffed. So, what's it's going to be?"

Still taken aback by the offer, I told him I'd be a fool to turn it down.

Part 2

Well, maybe things weren't so bad after all. The meeting ended and the staff was informed about the new developments. Lex looked like he had a full pineapple up his butt, he was really bad at hiding his true feelings but I didn't care. For the first time since the split, I was happy. I called my mom and she started ululating over the phone, she even said a short prayer. We needed this, we needed a break from the hardships and this opportunity would get us out of the gutter.

Later on that day, I decided to try out this new eatery while I was running some managerial errands for the bar. First day and already thrown into the deep end but you either swim or drown, pressure creates diamonds so I was definitely thriving under it.

I ordered a light meal since I had some time to kill before my last run. I was sipping on my latté, with a copy of an infamous publication in front of me, the cover stories always made me chuckle: "The curse of the sex crazed tokoloshe: it's sleeping with my ex wife!"

"Dead man commits suicide and survives". Who writes these things?

I pushed it aside to absorb the scenery.

I always found the different people in coffee shops quite interesting, from the old white men who seem wealthy and at peace, to the wealthy but lonely as well as those recovering from hangovers. The business partners who were focused on negotiating a deal, the newly weds having a pleasant meal, laughing and holding hands, staring deeply into each other through the windows of their souls to the elderly couples, looking cozy and still very much in love.

Not forgetting the private school kids still in uniform taking pictures of everything that they order, even a simple glass of water. I shook my head and smiled. My favourites are the new guys on the job, fidgety and clumsy, apologising every two minutes then apologising when you tell them not to apologise then apologising right after that.

Did I forget the overly anxious, late dude who can't stop telling everyone about how late he is but insists on waiting for his cup of coffee anyway?

And finally the "cool kids", a few youngsters who clearly take themselves too seriously, you know the Braam boys with happy socks and a laptop, wearing their grandfather's hand me down suits and shoes that clearly don't fit them and calling it "vintage". The "woke" types, the Instagram boys and girls who only speak Forex trading and will try by all means to convert you to their beliefs. They spend the whole day at the crowded coffee shop ordering two items from the menu then abuse the WiFi and electricity because they turned their table into a workstation.

I may not be privy to the whole thing but I find it funny because they all claim to have money in their "online accounts", probably based in some foreign country but they can never seem to access this said revenue. And if they do, by some miracle, it's always a procedure that takes days but when they deposit, the process is quicker. Ridiculous really.

Then there's the strong independent woman who doesn't need a man and is always tense and wants to speak to the manager because they got her order wrong. With a "Don't Even Look At Me" sign hanging around her neck; she's a smart girl, dresses pretty well, probably has a car, can't keep a man though. Studies part time or dropped out to pursue a business venture, she's adamant that she built it from the ground up and gets rather defensive when you inquire into the "how" and "when".

Too proud and pompous to admit that either daddy dearest helped or she had to adopt a more sinister approach to get where she is now. But then again, I'm sitting here judging without context, maybe they did work for all these things and if that's the case, I applaud their tenacity.

But I had bigger things to worry about, like this little black box in my pocket. I pulled it out and stared at it for what felt like an eternity. I carry it around with me almost everyday. Should I pawn it? Would the jewelery store even take it back and refund me? I highly doubt it. Maybe I should just throw it in the toilet "but that's still your money though" said the little voice of reason at the back of my mind.

"She's going to absolutely love it" said another voice that I didn't recognise. I looked up and a pretty girl was standing over my shoulder looking into the tiny little box.