Somewhere Else

Chapter 15: The Road Not Imagined (ii)

"I remember you," the girl behind the counter says, smiling at me. "You're the one from Germany, right? You came in a while back."

I blink at her, nonplussed. In Hamburg, I wouldn't have made an impression at all. It only serves to remind me, once again, of how much less diverse and crowded Helsinki is, in comparison to many other capital cities.

"Yes," I say finally, trying to smile back. The nape of my neck is prickling up. I wonder how many people she sees in a day, that she can pick me out like this.

I look around the bakery, skimming across a few customers before I can chide myself. Who's the stalker now?

I haven't been back in Töölö since last Saturday when I dropped by Aksel's apartment to pick up my belongings. Until now.

I've missed this bakery, I tell myself. I'm free to come all the way here for bread if I want to.

The cashier is still talking to me. "What would you like today?"

I hadn't actually been planning to buy anything, but now that she's asked... "What's good?"

"I recommend the rye, of course," she says with a tinkling laugh. "Or maybe the chocolate croissant, if you have more of a sweet tooth."

"Chocolate croissant," I repeat. "That sounds nice. I'll take one, please."

As she rings up my purchase, I squint at the other options on the shelves behind her. "Do you have that new cricket bread that everyone keeps talking about?" I ask half-jokingly. "I keep seeing it on the news."

"Oh, no," the cashier tells me as she bags my croissant. "That is at Fazer, if you want to try it."

I make a face. "Well... I'm not adventurous enough. I think seeing the live crickets in the jar made me lose all appetite for it. It's a good endeavour, though."

"Yes," she says. "I'm also uncomfortable about eating it, but I have heard some people who tried it and said it tastes normal, just like bread."

"Oh, well." I shrug. "Maybe someday. But I'm not ready for it yet."

She laughs. "It's okay, I understand. Me neither. But maybe in the future, we all have to be braver."

"Yeah." My mouth twists at the thought. "All our resources on Earth are depleting. It's depressing."

She nods commiseratingly. "We haven't taken good care of our planet." Then she hands over the brown paper bag, "That will be 85 cents."

I take the bag and count out the coins for her.

"Thank you!" She smiles at me. "Would you like the receipt?"

"No, thanks." I could leave now, but something makes me hover at the counter. There is no one else in the queue behind me, so I take a deep breath and ask the question that has been on my mind since walking in. "I saw the sign in the window about you hiring?"

The cashier nods. "Yes, we are."

"I'm interested in the job," I say, "but I assume I'd have to know Finnish?"

She smiles at me again, this time sheepishly. "Yes, I'm afraid... We need someone who is fluent in Finnish."

In other words – not me. It makes sense, though. I should have guessed.

Smiling stoically to hide my disappointment, I nod at her in thanks. "It's okay. Thank you."

"Wait," she calls out as I ready to walk away. "You're looking for a job?"

I nod. "Preferably a part-time job, though. I'm taking a Finnish class, so I can't work full-time." Then I roll my eyes, "Not that I'll be able to get one with my level of Finnish, anyway."