Awakening Hearts

Chapter 6: KAREN

"And just like that, life changes"

I know I'm skipping ahead of myself here but I have to tell you about my friend Doris, owner and proprietor of Doris's Dine and Sip. Though this is the first time we are about meet Doris I can tell you that years last, I inherit some of her personal diaries and the content will, I shit you not, knock your tits off. She is amazing. An absolute treasure. So it's going to be a tad confusing when I tell you that we did not get along at first. Not one bit.

Doris Carmichael was actually born Alex Michael Demmoca. She was born in a small Italian town and raised by her maternal grandparents. Her grandmother taught her all she needed to know about pastry cooking and her grandfather everything she needed to know about Coffee. They owned and operated a small Cafe on the outskirts of town and made a modest living. These were good days she said, and I believed her.

The next bit is literally out of the movies. Sad but true. Her grandparents were killed because they refused to pay one of the local thugs for protection money and she avenged them. I can't tell you how or what she did but let's say it made John Wick look like a choir boy. After that particular incident she was sent to the America's, her words not mine, but she soon fell in with the local Mob where she was known as "Alex the Spoon".

She lead an unhappy life working as a small time thug for a big time crime lord. She one day dreamed of opening a small Cafe as her grandparents once had. Then one night she saw something he wasn't supposed to, and ended up on the witness protection. The crime lord in question didn't trust Alex to keep his secrets, when he had the biggest secret of all time. 'She' wanted to be known.

He testified against his former boss, who was sent away for a long time. While in witness protection they discovered her location thanks to a crooked cop by the name of Lenny The Mouth. She was on her own. So she disappeared, had gender reassignment at the tender age of 50, moved to New Zealand and opened small cafe. It became a large cafe, which paved the way to the Dine and Sip.

When I walked into the Dine and Sip for the first time I was hit by an amazing aroma. Food. Real food. Real food and coffee. Oh the Coffee. If I didn't drink coffee before, I swear I would be addicted, just by the smell alone. It was rich and fragrant. It was like walking into the kitchen at home after Sunday morning baking. It infused within the soul, and instantly won the heart over. I fell in love with the place instantly.

Along the window and the centre were 1960s style booths. All had burgundy red leather. Each one able to hold a small family or four large rugby players. The tables were mahogany and varnished. Each table had a container of napkins and what looked like a jukebox interface on the walls. The leather upon the stools along the bar, were also burgundy, and the bar top was made of solid mahogany. Along the walls were iconic 1960s pop culture pictures.

There were a few people scattered throughout. All enjoying their meals or relaxing. They seemed happy, as they all had their fill and now sat lazily in their booths awaiting the cheque. There was a clatter of dishes. A gentleman in his late 70s had spilt his cup and seemed distressed. I rushed over and tried giving him a hand. He looked at me as if to say thank you as I used napkins to wipe up the mess

Ok slightly off topic. . .  again, need to tell you about my mutant power. I read facial expressions like reading a book. Doesn't matter if it's for a second, I can pick them up like a Hawk hunting prey. In the normal world they're called micro or macro expressions. Everyone makes them. For a split second they reveal themselves like a confession to a Catholic Priest.

My sister hated it. I could tell when she's lying. It made us closer in a way. She never lies to me now, and I never lie to her. I wouldn't change that for the world. My mother on the other hand lies to us all the time. I can never trust her. So why have I mentioned one of my life secrets you may ask? It's because I need you to know, that what I see hidden in those seconds, tells me how they truly feel.