Zimzalabim Café

 

It was raining cat and dog outside, the clock on the wall shows that it’s almost 10 p.m. A sigh can be heard echoing in the empty café, accompanied by the sound of glass clinking.

 

“No customer again today huh?” a man came out from the small store room of the café.

“Yep” a girl reply without hesitation.

“Told you, buying this café is the worst decision you’ll make Wendy.” Said the man while making himself a cup of left over coffee.

“It’s passion Henry…” Wendy replied.

Henry shrugs at Wendy’s remark and proceed to the main door of the café ‘I guess its closing time now.’ He said as he turn the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’ sign. However something stop him, he saw a girl standing outside the café, shivering.

He opens the door and gesture for her to get in “Hey! Come on get in! The rain is not gonna stop any moment!”

“Why are you shouting?” Wendy asked with confusion on her face.

“There’s someone standing outside in the rain, she’ll probably get sick if she continues to stand in this kind of weather, but doesn’t seems like she heard me.” Henry explains.

Wendy put down the dishes that she was washing and walk toward Henry, she squinted her eyes to see better, as the rain is pouring heavily outside and indeed she saw the girl too. As she thought Henry was seeing thing when he told her that there was a girl standing outside, and furthermore in this kind of weather. “Maybe he was seeing ghost” she thought a moment while ago.

“Grab me the Umbrella.” She instructs him.

“Here.” He handed her the umbrella, she grabs them and goes out to fetch the girl.

 

The wind is too strong, and having umbrella with her was useless, she still gets soaked anyway. Wendy reach the girl, she lightly taps her on the shoulder. The girl was pale and had a blank expression on her face.

“Yikes, maybe she is ghost!” Wendy thought to herself. Wendy has always have the ability to see ghost since her middle school years. She did not know how she got it but she just know she can see what other people couldn’t see.

“Miss…” she tries her luck again and hoping that it wasn’t a ghost.

The pale girl slowly turn her head to Wendy “I have lost…everything…” she sobs.

Before Wendy could as any further, the pale girl lunge herself toward Wendy hugging her, burying her pale face in the crook of Wendy’s neck, crying softly.

Wendy didn’t know what to do. She softly pat the pale girl on her back “Why don’t we get in my shop first and get you something to warm yourself” she suggests.

The pale girl didn’t give any response, she just continue cry silently on Wendy’s shoulder. Wendy just stand there in the rain with her, until Henry comes for both of them.

“We really need to get you two inside!” he shouted while tugging Wendy to follow him.

“Let’s get you inside!” Wendy said as she slowly tugs the pale girl with her.

 

“Can you get me a cup of hot tea Henry?” Wendy requested.

“Coming right up!”

Wendy asked the pale shivering girl sit while she went inside the café store to grab some dry uniform and handed them to the girl.

“Take this and change, you’re gonna get sick if you stay in your wet clothes”

The girl didn’t utter anything, she grabs the uniform from Wendy and silently follow’s Wendy’s direction towards the toilet to get change.

 

“Here’s the tea” Henry slowly place the hot tea on the counter while looking at Wendy seriously.

“What are we gonna do with her?” he questioned.

“I don’t know…let’s just…go with the flow?” Wendy answered while shrugging.

“What if she…you know a serial killer, we could be her next victim you know…” Henry blurts out of the blue, and he receives a light smack on his arm “Ouch!” he yelps.

“Don’t make assumption if you don’t know anything idiot!” Wendy scolds him.

“Fine…but you know if…” before Henry can finish his sentence, the toilet door creak open, and the girl steps out. Her face slowly flushes, leaving a soft pink tint on her cheeks, compared to the pale exterior earlier.

Her eyes are empty, there was no life in it, however she manages to throw a small smile to Wendy and mouthed ‘Thank you’ to her as she slowly walks toward Wendy and Henry.

 

“Here…drink this.” Wendy offers her the freshly made tea.

“Thank you…” the girl voice was soft, somewhat made Wendy’s heart skip a beat. Wendy notices how beautiful the girl’s face, Wendy’s eyes trailed from the girl’s lips, to her nose, then her eyes.

 

“She’s beautiful…” Wendy thought to herself. She was gonna sit there in silence while staring at the girl’s beauty features but she regains her conscious when Henry clears his throat.

 

“May I know why you were outside standing in the rain like that?”

“Henry!” Wendy tries to hush her best friend.

“What? I just want to know!” Henry hisses.

“Well yeah but you have to wait for the right moment to ask! Don’t just go out of the blue and ask!” Wendy retorts.

“Well what do you expect we’re doing?”

“I was left by my lover on our wedding day…” the girl replies while Wendy and Henry bickering.

“….” There was silence.

“I’m sorry…I ugh…I think I gotta throw away the trash…” Henry excuses himself from the awkward atmosphere. He swears if Wendy’s glare could kill, he would be dead that moment. It was the most intense glare that she ever gives him.

After Henry is out of the sight, Wendy turn to the girl, she sighs and hold out her hand to offer a handshake “I’m Wendy…that guy just now is my best friend, his name is Henry. I would like to apologize for his bluntness…”

“Irene…” the girl reply while shaking Wendy’s hand.

 

“Her hand is so soft.” Wendy thought to herself again.

“I’m not trying to in or anything in your case…but…what really happened?” Wendy asks with concern in her eyes.

There was no reply from the girl.

“You know…I know that we’re just strangers, but you can talk to me, let all that’s whatever in your chest out…maybe you will feel better.”

“Today was supposed to be my happiest day…the day I get married…” the girl confesses without hesitation.

Wendy sit herself straight and scoot closer to her, so that she can listen to her better.

“I was waiting for her to come, but she didn’t…the guests start to leaving one by one…I tried to call but she didn’t answer her phone…it was like she vanished. I left my family for her, I gave up my everything for her…and yet this is what I get?” her voices start to sound shaky, tears are forming in her eyes. She tries to hold it in because she doesn’t like to be seen weak in front of someone whom she just met.

“What did I do wrong?” she turns and asked Wendy.

 

Wendy looks at her with sympathetic look “You did nothing wrong.” She replies.

“It was your fiancé’s fault for making a beautiful girl like you cry so hard till your eyes so puffy and red.”

Irene scoffs when she heard Wendy’s comment “All of you are the same, you’ll try to flirt when you see an opportunity huh?”

“What?” Wendy thoughts “What’s with the 360 degrees’ attitude changes?”

“Listen Irene…” Wendy speaks up, trying to catch Irene’s attention “I’m not trying to flirt with you…I was just stating facts…you are beautiful and your fiancé is dumb to left a beautiful bride behind for whatever reason that makes her got cold feet…”

“……” there was no reply from Irene, she just looks straight at the window, watching the rain drops slowly trailing off the glass windows.

“You…deserve better…she left you, then make her regret that she ever left you or made you cry!” Wendy exclaims.

Irene turns her head to look at Wendy. There was this cute grin on Wendy’s face, Irene did not know why she easily persuaded by this girl. She smiles and says “Maybe you’re right…maybe I should make her regrets that she ever leaves me...”

Wendy returns her smile, and the moment once again turn awkward, no words were exchange, just the sound of rain filling the atmosphere.

 

“So what are your plans?” Wendy asks while trying to break the icy atmosphere between them.

Irene stares at Wendy for a moment before pick up her cup and take a sip of her hot chamomile tea.

“Honestly…I don’t know.” Irene shrugs before she continues “I don’t have a job, house or even family…I left it all for her…”

Wendy senses that Irene is gonna get upset again, she quickly grabs Irene’s hand to make that girl stare straight to her brown eyes “How about you work here with me? And for accommodation, you can crash at my place until you can find your own place. I have extra room, you don’t have to worry about rent, but if you insist on paying, I can deduct it from your salary…so why don’t you…try?”

Irene is frowning at Wendy, it’s not that she doesn’t understand what Wendy said but she was doubtful.

“Why are you so good to me? We were just strangers…that just met.” Irene asks.

“Because I know the feeling of betrayal and rejection Irene…” Wendy answers with a bittersweet smile hanging on her lips.

“…I’m sorry…” Irene apologies, though she wasn’t supposed to.

“It’s okay, I mean look at me now! A proud owner of this café!” Wendy proudly acclaims.

 

“Well yeah… a café that is in the brink of bankruptcy!” said Henry who just came back from throwing away all the trashes.

“Henry!” Wendy glares at him.

“What? It is the truth!” Henry retaliates “We barely get any customers! Yes, your coffee making skills is wonderful and the coffee and tea you made really superb! But your marketing skills is useless Wendy! And what’s with naming the Café as ZIMZALABIM Café?! Like what the hell is Zimzalabim?!”

Wendy was not having it, Henry knew how much time and money that Wendy had put into her café and she hates it when Henry belittle her.

“If you don’t think I can run a shop then why did you work with me?! And FYI Henry we've talked about why I name the café Zimzalabim! And I am not gonna argue with you again regarding this issues!” Wendy retaliates with anger

“Stop it you two.” Irene steps in between the two besties, when she saw that the argument is getting heated.

“I will help you with marketing…” Irene states.

“What can you do huh?” Henry asks in doubt.

“I may not look like it but I used to work in marketing field before…” Irene replies.

Henry and Wendy were surprised by her statements, they look at each other and turn their gaze to Irene “You’re hired!” them both said in unison.

 

Wendy’s Apartment

 

“I’m sorry that my apartment is a mess!” Wendy says while smiling sheepishly at Irene when she opened the door to her apartment.

“Wow…your apartment is big…” Irene was surprised by the size of Wendy’s apartment, she thoughts it was just gonna be a comfortable apartment but no, this is some rich people kind of apartment.

“I’ll clean up the spare room!” Wendy said as she rushes into the empty room, trying to clean it up as much as she, so Irene can sleep comfortably tonight.

Irene was trying to say something but Wendy went fast to the room. She just sighs and look around the living room. Indeed, it is big and spacious but something caught Irene’s eyes, a pile of clothes laying on the ground. She hated untidy space, she hated it so much, that the urge of cleaning suddenly appears.

“Wendy…can I help you clean this up?” she asks.

Wendy pop her head out from the spare room “Clean what up?” she asks

“This…” Irene replies with a glance and finger pointing at Wendy’s pile of dirty clothes.

Wendy gasps and quickly run out to the living room and picks up her dirty clothes.

“It’s okay Irene! I’ll do it tomorrow! Your room is ready. You can go in now. I put some clean clothes that you can wear on the bed.” Wendy was embarrassed, she doesn’t like people to invade her privacy but tonight was an exception because she couldn’t just kick Irene out on the street when the girl clearly doesn’t have anything on her, even money.

On their way to Wendy’s apartment, Wendy learnt that Irene was cast out by her own family she they knew that she was a lesbian. She’s been living with her girlfriend, and they were supposed to get married today but her girlfriend or should we said her fiancé ran away, leaving her with nothing. Not even money, because she gave it all to her fiancé. Wendy is the type that easily sympathize with people, so she decided to let Irene stay with her until she can earn enough to find a place of her own, beside she stays alone, it wouldn’t be that bad to have a company around. She just hopes that they can get along well.

Irene just nod and walk into the spare room. She examines the room, the whole room is white, even the bedsheets and tables are white. She flops herself on the fluffy bed, the softener smells calm her down, she inhales deeply as she buries her face on the pillow. She was tired and sad. She didn’t know where to go or what to do, that’s why she ended wander aimlessly on the street until Wendy and Henry found her.

 

“If you want to take a bath I already run the hot water for you!” Wendy’s voice can be heard yelling from the living room.

When she didn’t get any reply from the Irene’s room, she decides to peak on her and found that Irene is already fast asleep. Wendy’s gaze softens and she walks toward her, she slowly pulls the blanket, afraid that she’ll wakes Irene up. She covers Irene with the blanket, wishes her goodnight and slowly leave the room.

 

Wendy enters her own room after she finished checking on Irene. She plops herself on her bed. She stares at the ceiling, eyes are getting heavy and slowly she too falls asleep.