The Magnolia Café

Chapter 20

Today, I'm having lunch with Ren at an Italian restaurant. Last time he delivered the flowers he seemed down, and it looked like he could use a distraction, so we finally schedule the lunch we had talked about.

Oddly have enough, we have become friends quickly, which is quite a feat. Making friends when you are adult is hard, especially when you just arrived at a new place, let along making friends this fast. I'm proud of myself.

I wave at Ren as I see him standing at the door. His face seems gloomier than usual.

"Hi Izzy. I got us table. Let's go inside."

We analyse the menu, order our food and now I can finally tackle what's been bothering me.

"Are you okay?"

He shrugs. "It's been harder than I thought. Being back home, I mean."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm thirty-three. I should have my life figured out by now. And yet here I am without a job, back at home and no plans."

"There's nothing wrong with being lost for a while. I'm starting over as well."

"Do you have a plan? For the future, I mean."

I shake my head. "Right now, I'm just living day by day. And at least for now, everything is going well."

"So, do you think I'm overreacting?"

"Of course not. People deal with adversities in different ways. When did you come back?"

"August. It was when the school I worked at told me that my contract wasn't going to be renovated and I wasn't able to be placed in any other place for this school year."

"Is working at the flower shop that bad?"

"No. But I love teaching. And the things at the shop could be better."

"What do you teach?"

"English."

"What about tutoring kids?"

"I'll think about it." Ren looks sadly at his bruschetta. How can someone look so sad while eating bread?

My caprese pizza and Ren's carbonara pasta arrive. Everything smells deliciously. I almost drool over the melted mozzarella.

"Oh! I just had another idea."

"What?"

"Does it have to be English?"

"What do you mean?"

"Would you like to teach kids something else?"

"Like what?"

"Gardening. You work at a flower shop. You probably learned a lot from you mother. Why don't you guys start workshops for kids? And adults as well. That might stick. It will keep you busy and it'll also be good for the shop. Nowadays, people really like to grow their own spices and tiny vegetables on a balcony."

"That's actually a wonderful idea." Ren's face lights up and he smiles at me. There's hope in his eyes and he looks like a completely new person. "Now that we solved my problems, let's talk about yours."

"My problems?" I play with the crust of my pizza while avoiding Ren's grin.

"A good-looking problem called Connor. Which happens to be your boss. I love that trope."

"Shut up. What trope?" I chuckle. "There's nothing going on."

"Sadly, he isn't into man, otherwise I would give it a shot. But I know better than to go for straight men. I've learned my lesson."

"I don't get why people keep asking me what's going on with Connor. There's nothing going on."

"Who asked you about it?"

"This girl, Maia, she just started working at the Magnolia part time."

"Well, if even a teen that you've known for days has asked about it, it just makes it all the more obvious that you have a thing for each other, but clearly, none of you is taking the first step."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just a hunch. It's not just the annoyance on your face when people ask you if there's something between you two, there's something else."

I take a bite of another slice of pizza while I stare at Ren. "I'll tell you what I told Maia. Everyone has trauma."

"Fair enough. I agree and I understand. But just because everyone has trauma, it doesn't invalidate yours and doesn't mean you shouldn't work on it."

"I know. I'm just... lost. I don't think that bringing anyone into my life would do me any better right now."

"True, but I also don't think that you should push away the people that are good for you."

"I'm not pushing people away. Look," I point a slice of pizza at Ren. "I have you. I made a friend. An extremely difficult feat as an adult. I deserve a round of applause for that."

Ren laughs. "You know what I mean."

"I know," I sigh. "But what if it makes me regress? I have been feeling so much better. What if all the progress I made goes to shit?"

"I know we have never discussed the details of what you've been through, we don't have to. But you have given me enough clues for me to understand enough. You don't need to be so afraid. Not anymore, and certainly not with Connor." I smile at Ren with my eyes starting to get wet.

"Thank you, Ren. Let's see where things go. I heard there's magic in the Magnolia that grants wishes or something."

"Not wishes. Is a local legend. You get what you need."

"Same thing."

"Not true. I wanted a job and boyfriend, instead I got you."

"Jerk." I chuckle. "At least I'm a good friend. I won't fire you. I won't cheat on you, and I just gave you an idea for the flower shop."

"Precisely. What I needed, not what I wanted."

I roll my eyes. "Got it. You wanted Connor to be gay and a job, not me as a friend."

"You finally got the point." He chuckles. "Though I wouldn't mind getting those things and also have you as a friend."

"Good to know that I'm not that disposable to you." We laugh. "Well... then let's hope the Magnolia gives me what I need. Whatever that is."

"I think it already has given you a lot."

I smile. "You are right."

The Magnolia has given me friends, a job, a routine, a sense of purpose and has been slowly stripping away my loneliness and sorrow bit by bit. Ren and I leave the restaurant. He has to go back to work and I'm keeping him company while he walks there.

"Oh look. There's your boyfriend?" Ren points at something.

"Where?"

"There." He points again, and I finally seen Connor walking around with his camera.

"By the way, he is not my boyfriend."

Ren chuckles. "I was wondering if you were going to deny it. Aren't you going to stop by and say hi?"

"I see him every day. I think it's okay if we stay away for one day. Don't you need help at the store?"

"Well, I was planning on repotting some plants, if you would like to help—"

"Never mind. I don't like to get my hands dirty."

"You know that there's something called gardening gloves, right?"

"I still feel it."

"Oh well, in that case—" Ren starts walking towards Connor. "Hey! Connor!"

"Ren, don't."

"Too late." Connor sees us and smiles. Ren waves and he waves back.