Chapter Text
Prologue
It was an unusually rainy day in mid-September at the quaint, double-storey cafe situated in the heart of a lush park. Customers, primarily students, sought refuge from the rain on the second floor. In contrast, the first floor remained quiet, with the soothing sound of jazz music playing in the background.
The cafe was cosy, with wooden tables and chairs neatly arranged throughout and two cubicles for the last two 4-seater tables for privacy purposes. The walls were adorned with local artwork, and large windows allowed natural light to flood the space. Outside, the park was filled with towering trees and colourful flowers, and an oriental pavilion beside the koi pond added to the serene atmosphere.
This park existed in the middle of Kuching Town in Sarawak, Malaysia, and was called the 'Friendship Park'. Most of the people will come here to jog or do some other exercise in the morning and evening.
"Bii, you come, you come." My childhood friend slash coworker, Ada, said snatched my wrist when I got the mop from the utility room. "Did you see that Ang Moh outside there, bo?"
"Huh? Where?" I asked, looking outside the window. I saw someone passing by, but I didn't see any Ang Moh, or white people as she said.
"Nehh, he's standing in front of our door. Quite some time already." She pointed at the front door. "Do you think he's suspicious? He'll come and rob us or not?"
Amanda Ng, short for Ada, is a woman with delicate features and large expressive eyes. She had a bubbly personality and contagious laugh that could brighten anyone's day. Though she was a hard worker, she was also easily distracted and prone to daydreaming.
And she is the owner's younger sister too.
"I think you've watched too many spy movies." I said, laughing at her. "No such thing would happen in real life, I mean our lives."
"Eh, you're no fun at all." Ada said, pouting her small lips. "You'll never know if a retired spy comes here to enjoy their coffee one day."
"If that's really happening, we'll never know if they're one or not, babe." I said, patting her shoulder. "So, since there's no customer now, let me mop the floor, okay?"
"Alright babe." Ada said and returned to the register.
Mopping the shoe-stained floor, I noticed the large guy standing outside the cafe with his obvious summer wear, a Hawaiian t-shirt, short pants and slippers. Looking from his side profile, he tied his long, messy hair into a low bun.
The rain pounded against the roof and windows with a steady rhythm, creating a soothing white noise. Occasionally, a gust of wind would howl, and the raindrops would intensify, creating a deafening roar that made it difficult to hear anything else.
As the cafe was a standalone two-story building in the middle of a park, there was almost no roof outside the cafe other than the shade outside the front door. The rain started to get heavier and obviously drenched that man. I wondered why he chose to stand outside rather than come inside.
"Sir, do you want to come inside?" I opened the door and said.
"Huh? What did you say?" That man asked. Even his beard looks messy too.
"I said, do you want to come inside to take a seat?" I had to raise my voice to be heard over the wind.
"Is it okay for me to come in?" The man squinted at me.
"Yeah, you should!" I said and opened the door. "Please come in."
Ada looked at me with surprise and horror as I led the man to the restroom at the end of the hallway.
"I don't have much here, but here's a clean towel you can use to dry off." I said, opening the cabinet to take out the hand towel. "You can use this to wipe yourself and… wait for the rain to stop before you start on your journey."
That man watched me quietly like he was thinking something. He had brown eyes and brown hair with some greys in it. His messy beard is thick, almost covering half of his face. What Amanda told me earlier had crossed my mind again, but I don't think this guy will rob us… right?
"Thank you." He said after a long pause. "You're kind."
"What? No lah." I said, fidgeting at his sudden compliment by revealing my slang. "I'll let you have some private time here."
I rushed out quickly, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
As I went back and mopped up the wet floor, the water seeped into the fibres of the mop, leaving it damp and heavy in my hands. It is essential to keep the floor dry to avoid accidents; and if the cafe is humid, I found it will affect people's breathing too.
After finishing my task, I proceeded to the water station after putting back the mop in the utility room.
"I can't believe you just did that babe!" Ada confronted me, as I expected.
"But I don't think it is a good idea for him to wait outside either." I said.
"You're too kind!! You shouldn't do this!!"
Her scream was silenced when that guy came out from the toilet, and she showed her occupational smile to him. He nodded at her and looked at me. "Can I, uhh, sit here?" He asked, pointing at the table nearest to the toilet.
"Yeah, that's a good spot." I said. "The ac is weak there, so it wouldn't be too cold."
"I should order something… right?" He asked.
"I mean, urm… it was me who invited you to come in." I said. "So you can decide if you want to order or not."
"No, I would like to order." He said and looked up at the menu behind me. "Cappuccino, please."
"Oh, alright. Will be delivered to you shortly."
"... Thanks. The register, please."
Why did this feel so awkward? Why was I stumbling over my words?
To my surprise, the man seemed genuinely kind. If he was going to rob the shop, he wouldn't spend money to buy a drink, right?
The man sat quietly at the table, staring out the window while waiting for his cappuccino. I couldn't help but notice the tired look on his face, as if he had been on the road for a long time. I wondered where he was headed and what his story was.
Without overthinking it, I prepared the drink for him by brewing the coffee first. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, blending with the damp earthy scent of the rain outside. The smell was warm and inviting, like a comforting hug on a cold day. While waiting for the coffee to drip into the cup, I made the froth by bubbling the milk.
Once I finished preparing the cappuccino, I set it on a tray and added a small plate of biscuits. I carried it to the man's table and placed the tray before him. "Biscuits is on the house." I said to him and smiled.
"Thank you so much." He said as he took a sip of the cappuccino. "This is really good."
I smiled back, feeling a sense of satisfaction from his compliment. "I'm glad you like it. Is there anything else I can get for you?"
"No, this is perfect. Thank you again." He shook his head.
As he enjoyed his drink, I couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity about this man. Who was he? What was his story? But I didn't want to pry, so I simply went about my work, cleaning tables and restocking supplies.
The rain outside continued to pour, and the cafe began to fill up with other customers seeking refuge from the storm. But even as the cafe grew crowded, he remained alone, lost in thought.
Finally, as the rain began to let up, he finished his cappuccino and stood up to leave. "Thank you again for your kindness." He said as he headed for the door.
"Take care." I said, waving him goodbye.
But just as he was about to step outside, he turned back and looked at me with a small smile. "By the way, my name is John." He said. "Thanks for the coffee."
And with that, he was gone, leaving me with a feeling of warmth and a sense of wonder about the man who had come in from the storm.
Just like John left, the rain continued to taper off, the cafe began to empty out, and Ada and I began to clean up. We washed dishes, wiped tables, and swept the floors while chatting about the mysterious man who had entered our lives for a brief moment.
"He seemed like a nice guy." Ada said as we finished cleaning up.
"Yeah, he did." I replied. "I hope he's okay."
"I'm sure he is." Ada said with a smile. "He said 'thank you' a few times."
"I hope so." I said, feeling satisfied at having helped someone in need. "It's important to be kind to others, especially when they're having a tough time."
"Absolutely." She said. "You never know what someone else is going through, so it's important to be there for them when they need it."
"But you thought he was going to rob us, right?" I teased her.
"Well, not after seeing all this!!"
As we finished cleaning up and closing the cafe, I couldn't help but reflect on the brief encounter with the mysterious man. It was a reminder that sometimes the smallest act of kindness can profoundly impact someone's life, and even the briefest encounters can leave a lasting impression. I made a mental note to continue to be kind to others, no matter how small the gesture, and to always be open to the unexpected moments life offers.
To be continue...