THE SWEETEST SIN(BxB)

9: The New Job.

CARL.

The glass door slid open, compelling the bells above it to chime as I stepped into the café. Aroma of freshly brewed espresso and pastries floated in the establishment creating a savory ambience.

I strode to the counter, where a lady seemingly in her late thirties, was scrolling through her smart phone. A bored look had settled on her features.

"Excuse me." I started, causing her to tear her gaze from the screen of her device.

"Yes. Welcome to café Marino. What would you like to have this afternoon? We have a variety of coffee. There's Americano, Espresso, Machiato, Cappuccino, Mocha and Piccolo." The lady explained.

"Umm...actually, I'm here for the job." I replied.

"What job?" She looked startled.

"The barista job that I had applied for three weeks ago. Yesterday, I got a call informing me that I had received the job."

Her brown eyes lit up, "Si. Si. I remember now. Remind me your name again?"

"Carl Mendez."

"Nice to finally meet you Carl Mendez. Thank for coming." Her lips stretched into a warm smile which resulted in wrinkles crowding the edges of her eyes.

"My name is Miss Nora Marino. Let me give you a brief history about this place. This beautiful café was built by my abuelo then he passed it down to Papa and after his death, it was passed down to me. " She detailed with a smile on her visage.

"You know, my papa loved this place so much. He would always serve customers with a proud smile on his face. I miss him so much." She reminisced.

"I'm sorry..." I started.

"No don't be sorry. Cancer should be sorry for taking him away from me. "A frown sat on her face. "Anyway Carl, I don't want to keep you all evening with my boring stories." She picked out an apron and handed it to me. "Time to get to work." She instructed.

For the rest of the evening, customers streamed into the café, making orders and I brewed their coffee exactly as they wanted. Miss Marino was on her phone most the time, only glancing up a few times to give me instructions. By the time I was done tending to the second batch of customers, my back and legs were sore.

Only twenty more minutes to the end of my evening shift.

"Carl, do you think I look fat in this photo?" She suddenly directed a question at me then placed her phone in my vicinity. In the photo, she was dressed in a yellow, knee-length sleeveless dress. She looked nice.

"No. I think you look fine."

"Are you saying that to make me feel better? I know that I look like a balloon in this photo. It's no wonder nobody has swiped right." A frown caressed her face.

"I actually mean it. You look nice." I replied while fixing a mug of coffee for myself.

"Then why is nobody swiping right? No guy has asked me out on a date. Do you know how long I've been on tinder? Five months! I'm old and fat. Nobody would dream of going on a date with me. " She was self loathing.

"Miss Marino...I think those guys are blind to ignore someone as beautiful as you. They're missing out." I comforted her.

A girlish grin coated her features, "Yeah. You're right. They don't know what they're missing out on. You know, all my life I've felt ugly and unwanted. Every guy would always choose my sister. She was the prettiest. I envied her a lot, growing up. I still do." She paused. "Do you have any siblings, Carl?"