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The April California sun was the most pleasant at sunset, and King-Lu decided to enjoy it for a couple of minutes until his cup was empty. Inside was finally real tea, and he couldn’t say he missed that leaves and berries brew they had to settle for in Fort Tilikum. Alcohol would be more preferable in such a pleasant evening, but this idea was met with Cookie’s cold disapproval.
“It’s for baba al rum,” he said, taking the whiskey bottle away, and King-Lu didn’t insist. The dessert would be tastier than whiskey itself anyway.
He was standing on the porch of their soon-to-be-something-more building, leaning on the doorway, drinking tea like a respectable gentleman (he laughed in his teacup at this thought). Right next to the porch sat a signboard. He couldn’t see the letters on it, but he didn’t have to, because he knew exactly what the sign said.
Their plans had changed several times since the escape, and from ambitious to cautious but slow-paced, they came to be risky again, yet more advantageous too.
It was their main strategy when everything was, frankly speaking, theoretical, but most of the assumptions proved wrong when confronted by reality. First, they counted the money from their “bank” while on the ship only to learn it was still not enough for the grand start King-Lu had in mind, then they balanced the price for a farm against the potential profit (and the time and resources required), and then…
Cookie didn't want to sit idly and as soon as he felt fully recovered, he found a job as a cook's assistant in a bakery nearby. Meanwhile, King-Lu did his research and determined the best location for a hotel - close enough to the port to be in demand and far enough from it not to get guests mugged or killed. He dragged Cookie out for a walk there under the pretence of making the best of the weather (it was a chilly and dump day in December, but Cookie was easy to talk into anything), and when they passed a modest-sized two-story building on a tiny street, he casually waved his hand in its direction and said, "This is ours!"
Cookie stopped and looked at him with a mix of shock and confusion in his eyes, and King-Lu had to explain. They would start with opening their own bakery to sustain their everyday life, and at the same time they would spend their savings to furnish the rest of the building.
The reaction was just as King-Lu expected. First disbelief and suspicion, but one meaningful look was enough to convince Cookie that it was true.
They moved in the next day. The living conditions were very far from perfect, but they never lived in perfect conditions. No wind or rain came through the roof or the walls, the hearth worked, and it was more than enough.
Having slept well, Cookie started adjusting the kitchen to his needs - both home and business - right away, when King-Lu only opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling for a minute realizing where he was, and that moment a thought crawled into his mind.
He leaped up to his feet and came to the kitchen, finding Cookie swapping old ash out of the oven.
“You probably think I rushed it, and at least should have discussed the purchase with you.”
Cookie shrugged.
“It’s perfect. Naturally, you knew what you were doing.”
“But it’s not a small deal. It’s such an important decision. I think I rushed it.”
"No, it’s perfect. And I trust you," Cookie said simply, "I always trust you."
"But…"
"We've trusted each other since the night we met, haven't we?"
"Well, I had no other choice. And I'm still amazed that you did."
"And then," Cookie continued, "you stayed with me. You didn't abandon me there in the forest, didn't run away with the money. You could, but you didn't."
King-Lu felt his throat dry up with a sting of pain.
"I did think of leaving you there. I'm so sorry."
"But you hadn't. You thought of that and stayed with me," Cookie said, growing more and more serious. "And you don't need me that much anymore for your business plan to succeed, and still, you're here, making my dreams come true."
"I need you," King-Lu told him hastily, and then added just as quickly, "Not only because of your talent. Because it's you."
Cookie blushed a little.
"And this is my dream as well," King-Lu carried on, somewhat short of breath. "It has been since you first told me about it. It's almost what I have been looking for all my life. Not only a prospect of money, or success, but also a dream."
Cookie smiled and gave him a tight embrace.
They finally hung the signboard the day after Cookie made those babas al rum. Now anyone passing through the building could see that it was the "Warm Milk Hotel & Bakery".