Broken Routines

A harsh shiver escaped from my body as I stepped foot into my small cafe. Today had been one of the coldest days of the year, despite only being mid-September, as temperatures dropped in preparation for the fall season.

I shrugged off my coat, dropping it into a random chair without much thought. The warmth of the indoors enveloped me in small waves, clinging onto my skin like a warm hug on a winter night.

The heat from the office next door must be seeping through the vents again. I thought as I turned on the lights. Each fluorescent bulb flickered to life one by one, fully illuminating the space in a comforting glow.

I couldn't bring myself to care much for the heating besides the passing notice. It had become a common occurrence over the past few years, a welcome one at that. Prices in the area have been going up lately and the less I had to reach into my emergency funds to pay for it the better.

I made my way to the backroom to grab the cleaning supplies. There was a lot to do before opening at 11:40 and the sooner I finished cleaning, the quicker I could get started on food preparations.

I turned on the lights of the closet, scanning the space before grabbing the broom.

Step 1 of Kang Beom-seok's Unofficial Opening Cleanup Checklist: Do a full sweep of the cafe. Make sure there is no dust in sight.

I began sweeping and besides the occasional dust bunnies in the corners there was not much to cleanup from last night's deep sweeping. I end up finishing in 20 minutes moving onto the next step.

Step 2 of Kang Beom-seok's Unofficial Opening Cleanup Checklist: Wipe down all tabletops and counters. Leave no spot unwiped.

I grabbed a cloth from under the kitchen sink, carefully wetting it to achieve the perfect balance of dry and wet before placing it on the first table.

I fell into a rhythm of wiping back and forth of each table. Seconds turning into minutes and minutes turning into more.

I reached the final table before a distinct buzzing reached my ears, causing me to lose focus. The buzzing continued, the sound reminiscent of a swarm of angry bees after getting their nest knocked to the ground. My eyes landed on my phone sitting a few feet away on the counter I started with.

"Incoming call from Mother," the automated voice announced. Even though I had set it up along with the ringtone to ensure I never missed important messages or calls while working, my body froze as if the voice wasn't expected.

The bees continued their warning buzz, getting angrier but I didn't move from the table. Wanting and waiting for the sound to stop.

Their warning buzz went on for a few more seconds before finally flying away leaving the cafe in silence. I felt my shoulders relax as I reveled in it.

Silence meant room to think, and room to think meant time to plan. Plans led to problem-solving and problem-solving led to order.

But the silence was short-lived as the bees returned not mere minutes after their first attack, this time they were angrier than before. Anger that they were left behind and ignored by a person who never gave them the time of day.

I shook my head, dispelling the nonsense thoughts that were not going to help me in this situation. I racked my brain for something, anything to help me out.

Plan 2278: Ask to stop (Not applicable at the moment).

Plan 51: Remove yourself from the situation (Close but not exactly).

Plan 66: Silence (Perfect).

I made my way over to the counter, the words on the screen again freezing me in place. I tried to raise my arm, only for the limb to stay by my side, feeling as though it was made of stone.

The buzzing stopped again, leaving me in silence as the dozens of missed call notifications appeared on the screen. The oldest one dated to 7:26 AM.

I made a mental note to check them and prepare for the inevitable call I would have to make with her later. The current time was 10:30 AM, leaving me exactly one hour and twenty minutes before the first customer of the day arrived.

I placed a tray of cinnamon buns in the oven and another tray filled with cookies on the rack underneath. I repeated this process with all the other ovens until they were filled with different treats. A faint smell reached my nose as the food began to bake.

*****

The coffee poured into the mug from the machine, its dark color not giving off a reflection. I took a seat at the table closest to the window, allowing me the perfect view of the outside world.

My eyes followed each passerby who moved at different speeds until a figure caught my attention. A man hurried past with vigor before stopping in front of the door.

I finished what's left of my coffee before opening the door, just a crack.

"Is this place open?" he asked, between heavy pants. His face was flushed red, a droplet of sweat falling down the side of his face.

I glanced back at the clock. It was 10:50 which meant I finished the coffee right on schedule. However, I still had another 50 minutes before opening. There was still food in the oven, and I hadn't started the order for my first customer of the day, who always came right on schedule.

"I guess I am now," I forced myself to say, the words feeling wrong as they left my mouth, opening the door wider to allow the man inside.

"What can I get you?" I asked, as I went behind the counter.

The man followed, his breaths more calmed now as he reached the counter. "Whatever is the quickest. I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"So I've noticed," I said without thinking.

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?" He asked, just as the alarm rang, alerting me that the treats were finished.

"Excuse me," I said, as I went to the back, checking the clock on my way out.

I took the cinnamon rolls out of the oven, deciding the croissants and cakes could use some more time baking. The smell of sugary sponge and cinnamon attacked my nose as I closed the oven doors once more.

Walking back out, I saw the man tying his tie, his face contorted in a look of concentration as he fumbled with the fabric.

"Ok, so the quickest drink I can get you is a spicy chai latte. Is a 5 minute wait alright with you?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine," the man responded as he carefully tried to tie the tie, putting the fabric through a hole. The knot deflated as he tried to tighten it, and he let out a long sigh, looking straight ahead, his eyes widening as he zeroed in on the sweets placed on the counter. "What's that?" he asked.

"Cinnamon buns," I answered as I turned on the coffee machine, the loud hum sounding throughout the space, making the man jump in surprise, his eyebrows hiding in his bangs. "They still need to be frosted, so they can't be on display yet."

"How many do you have?" he asked as I moved to grab the cinnamon and milk.

"Twelve on the pan," I said, pouring in the milk and washing it splash into the coffee, the dark color morphing into a creamy brown. "But I have about 48 more in the back."

"I'll take 22," the man said unexpectedly, "My team at work would love this."

I stared at him in shock before the second beeping of the machine forced me to hurry to the back, pulling out the rest of the sweets. Leaving them in was the right choice; the cakes now the perfect golden brown, and the cookies had the right balance of a crispy look while the chocolate chips were still gooey. I took another tray to the front, the man still trying to complete the process of tying his tie when I came back.

I tried to frost the rolls as quickly as possible while putting the finished coffee into a takeout cup, steam escaping from the drinking hole.

I gently slid the boxes of cinnamon rolls toward him, the smell from the inside tempting me to follow.

"Here you go, that would be 22,621 won," I said, the man's head whipping toward me away from his current action before fumbling to grab his wallet from his pocket.

"Right, I will get it right away... oh dang it," the man cursed as the contents of his wallet scattered around the floor. I felt my eyes twitch at the thought of the dirt from the cash and cards making a home on my freshly swept floors. "Sorry," he apologized, dropping to his knees hurriedly.

"No problem," I said through gritted teeth, leaning over the counter to get a full view of him scrambling to clean up the dozens of cards and cash. "You need help with that?" I asked.

"With the mess or my tie?" he asked back.

"Well, I was offering for the mess, but sure I could do the tie as well," I offered, standing up straight as the man finished cleaning.

"Then yes, please," he sighed out, finally placing a singular credit card on the counter. I slid it through the reader, waiting for it to accept before joining him on the other side, taking the fabric between my hands and beginning to tie. It quickly becoming a difficult process as he swayed from side to side, halting any progress I made.

"Could you perhaps stop moving, please?" I requested, unable to hide the annoyance in my voice. Opening was getting closer, and while I still had food to prepare and more things to check off the checklist, here I was, tying some stranger's tie.

He gave me a shy look, his cheeks turning to a bashful red atop of his pale skin. "Sorry," he apologized, rubbing the nape of his neck, "I'm just a bit nervous."

"Big day?" I asked.

He nodded, "It's my first day of work," he admitted, "I just really want to make a good impression."

"Have you graduated?" I asked, noting his youthful appearance because he did look quite young. Not a wrinkle in sight and despite his tall and lanky stature his face still held what some might call a baby face.

"I'm in my last year," he answered, "This job is supposed to be an internship."

I finished the tie, loosening the knot a little so it doesn't look like the man was suffocating.

"Is this place open?" A woman asked, her head tilted to the side. She had her headphones in and wore sweatpants and a crop top.

Must be a person going to the gym. I thought. Usually they are just in and out.

"Yes, it is," I answered, grabbing the box of cinnamon buns from the counter and handing it to the man with as reassuring a smile I could offer. "Good luck on your first day."

He returned the smile, much brighter than my own. So wide that his eyebrows again went to play hide and seek in his long black bangs. He left, the woman taking his place in front of the register as I returned behind it.

"What can I get for you?" I asked.

*****

Hours passed after she left, no other people walking in until regular opening time and I got to feel the rush of familiarity of turning the sign right on schedule.

I waited behind the counter, my customer's usual first order waiting beside me for him to claim it, but more hours passed, and he didn't show up. The routine of taking and preparing orders continued, but he still didn't walk through the door asking for his usual.

The bright glow of the sun was dimmed by the upcoming night, and the flow of customers slowed,leaving me alone in the quiet of the cafe.

Usually, I enjoyed the quiet, the thinking it allowed me to do was the highlight of my day with how rare it had become these days, but this silence felt different. An odd aura surrounded it, making my skin crawl. If I was spending time with my neighbor, he would describe the feeling as 'bad mojo' but that was utterly ridiculous.

Deciding an early start on the nightly cleaning would help clear my mind, I headed to the backroom. A sour taste filled my mouth as I again veered off schedule, but I forced myself through it, grabbing the broom that lay along the wall.

Exiting the room, my eyebrows rose in surprise at the person standing near the door.

She was a woman, her long brown hair tied into a messy bun. Eye bags were deeply embedded into her sun-kissed skin, deeper than mine surprisingly, considering I averaged 5 hours on a good night, but somehow she held a smile on her face. A smile that seemed to be a worthy competitor of the sun, so bright without anything in front of her to trigger it.

Her eyes landed on me, her smile somehow brightening her more, blinding as I stared at it straight on, mesmerized.

"Are you still open?" she asked, her light and energy-filled voice sending me deeper into a trance.