Chapter 6 - Call Me Anne
<Newcastle Upon Tyne, England>
2 years later. ??
.
In a room that has pink flamingos decorated with flowers and cute tumblr lights, a girl was still rolled up under a thick blanket. Outside, the wind was bellowing. Winter was approaching and the temperature was quite cold. It made the girl want to continue hiding under her blanket even more.
RING
RING
The sound of a cellphone on the nightstand rang repeatedly. The girl, whose body was wrapped in a blanket completely, had to take her hand out to reach her cellphone, which had been ringing for 5 minutes without stopping.
"Jack ..."
"Hey, Miss Lazy. What time is it now? Do you want to open this shop or not? If not, I will take leave for the next six months to take a travel South Africa and you will manage this shop alone," shrieked a man on the other end of the phone as soon as the line is connected.
"Be patient Jack, what time is it now?" asked Anne casually without guilt.
"It's almost 9 am," Jack replied, rising his voice.
"Is it already 9? Good God! Okay, I'll take a shower first. Don't go anywhere Jack. Remember, I haven't paid your salary this month," said Anne threatening Jack the barista at her coffee shop, in panic. Anne then jumped from her bed to the bathroom.
After she divorced Leon, Marianne then went to England with the money given to her by Mrs. Catherine Ganke. The day right after Marianne arrived in England, Catherine died. Marianne learned about the news of Catherine's death from a social media account for socialites in Germany.
At first, Marianne wanted to return to Germany to attend her funeral, but when she remembered that there was no place for her in there, Marianne finally canceled her intention. She only prayed from afar that the kind lady would rest in peace.
With the money she had, Marianne bought an apartment that was comfortable enough for herself. At first, she wanted to continue her studies at the art faculty at a university in England.
But when she remembered that she had to work, finally, Marianne canceled her intention to continue studying. She finally chose to open a coffee shop near her apartment.
Initially, Marianne worked alone because her coffee shop was not that popular until finally, after six months, she recruited a barista she met at a shelter after she was fired from her previous job at a hotel.
Marianne hired Jack as a barista and cashier at her coffee shop. For almost two years she lived in England, Jack was the only friend she trusted and she made her right hand. Jack himself was not too interested in Marianne at first. He only intended to work in a coffee shop without intending to make friends.
But after getting Marianne's kindness, he began opening up himself to become a good friend and listener to Marianne. Jack was the one who knew about Marianne's true status.
"Don't keep staying up late, so you would get enough sleep. Look at the time. It's half-past nine, and you haven't opened the shop yet. What do you want this shop to be if the owner is very lazy like you," Jack said irritably when he arrived at the coffee shop.
"I was not staying up late, Jack. It's just so hard to get out of the blanket. Today the wind is too cold," said Anne tried to defend herself.
"You, silly girl. You should have taken advantage of this time by opening a coffee shop since morning. I'm sure people will come to look for coffee in this cold weather," Jack said curtly.
Anne just smiled at her barista's words. After successfully opening the shop, Anne and Jack went straight to their respective positions. Ten minutes later, Marianne turned the signboard from close to open. After the words open appeared on the coffee shop window, the customers immediately entered.
They ordered coffee to warm themselves, just like Jack had said before. Anne smiled when she saw many customers who came to her coffee shop. She then walked to the kitchen to make cookies to serve with the coffee she sold.
The old fashioned and poor girl who was once married to Leonardo Ganke had now turned into a beautiful girl who was always smiling. Anne changed her hairstyle and took off her thick glasses. At first, she chose to use soft lenses, but over time she felt that using soft lenses was ineffective.
Anne finally decided to do lasik surgery to treat her eyes. As a result, now she didn't need glasses to see anymore because the operation was successful.
Anne also began to pay attention to her appearance. She no longer wore a plaid flannel shirt that looked worn. She now followed fashion and dressed like girls her age, and now she could become a beautiful girl in the eyes of men.
"Thank you, grandma. Thank you for your kindness," said Anne to herself as she put the cookies in the oven.