(I'll be taking a break till next week.)
[Hyde POV]
The next morning, at breakfast.
Red wore his mechanic outfit, and had a huge smile on his face as he ate the waffles.
"Someone's in a good mood." Kitty teased, wearing simple clothes instead of her nurse uniform.
"Well, I made enough for you not to work anymore. And Steven made enough for him to put a
downpayment on a house." Red said as he ate his bacon.
Mrs Forman didn't quit, but she took a week long holiday to relax after doing a lot of double
shifts.
I was slightly surprised when he mentioned my money. Laurie's eyes immediately changed and she
flirted with me for a bit, "Steven. I never knew you're so hot."
"Can it, Laurie." Kitty admonished her thot daughter instantly.
"What are you going to do with the money?" Eric asked me casually while he ate. He has to go to
school so he was already prepared.
"Invest in gold." I said casually.
Red smiled hard and said, "Good thinking Steven."
Kitty said proudly, "Aww. You started with nothing, and in just two months, you've become one of
the most famous kids in Wisconsin." She hugged me slightly.
I just smiled and said, "Hey. What are everyone doing this evening?"
Red was slightly taken aback, "Well. I'm going to be at the shop."
Kitty said, "I don't really have anything planned. Why do you ask?"
I turned to Laurie. She was taken aback, "Me too? Well, I don't know. It depends on if I find a
guy–"
"She's free." Kitty interjected quickly. "And you should think about finding a job, not a guy."
"Ma! That's my job." She whined.
Eric asked casually, "Wait. You got paid? Doesn't that means you're a–"
"Eric!" Red called out to stop him.
Eric changed his words midway, "...An entrepreneur?" He gulped his saliva nervously as Red stared
at him.
Red turned to me and asked, "Why did you ask Steven?"
"What about me? You don't want to ask me?" Eric poked me slightly.
"I already knew what you're going to do. Make out with Donna again. So I don't need to ask." I
teased.
"Hey… I do other stuff." He said defensively. Laurie gasped and said, "Aw, did someone finally get
to second base."
"That happened a long time ago– Damn it." Eric realized he was trapped. Red sighed in
disappointment which made Eric nervous.
"Good God, stop looking at me." he brought his plate to the sink hurriedly, face full of panic.
"I need people to test out a menu for a new cafe. It will serve coffee, milkshakes and sandwiches.
I need some opinion to see what to put on the menu." I said casually, saving Eric at the same time.
"Why are you the one doing this?" Red asked, narrowing his eyes at me.
"He paid me too. Anyway, Red. I need you there. I also need Bob and Midge. To do this, I need a
wide range of customer base to test it out."
I already got Tyrell and Megan to come to the cafe. All of my friends will be there too.
Even Mrs Ling, my math teacher, would come by.
…
I opened the wooden door with the glass window that had the opening sign and vinyl stickers for our hours and the shop's name.
[The Daily Grind]
{Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday - 7 am to 7 pm. Sunday- 11 am to 5 pm.}
The warm smell of coffee hit me first, mixed with a hint of chocolate and fresh pastries. The green
and white walls, simple but inviting, with sunlight streaming through the front windows onto the
LVP wood-style flooring that mimicked real wood.
To the right, I placed a long green couch in the book corner, stacked with a mix of 70s novels, car
magazines, and a few quirky finds I thought people might like.
A small coffee table and an armchair completed the reading nook, with an indoor plant hanging above to soften the space.
The tables scattered across the cafe had Victoria-style wooden chairs, some leather armchairs
tucked in for comfort.
There were around 8 of 4 seater circular chairs in the middle of the place. The nooks were located
at the walls.
A crane machine filled with cute plushies on the side, far away from the book nook.
In the corner, a colorful jukebox stood next to a low bench, glowing faintly in the afternoon
light.
Behind the counter, the espresso machine hissed softly, and the milkshake station gleamed, ready
for orders.
At the far wall, two bathrooms framed the storage closet, keeping cleaning supplies out of sight,
and I even stocked free tampons for anyone who might need them.
The female employee told me it was progressive to do that, especially in the 70s.
I made the bathroom entrance on the furthest end of the same wall, with a clear view to it from the
counter so that the employee could catch people sneaking around.
"This place looks good, Steven." Kitty cackled as she entered the shop with me. Since she was free
anyway, I brought her in early.
The two baristas and the two part-time servers gulped nervously as they saw me. It was their first
day after three days of training, and I told them I would be testing out the cafe today.
They wore black shirts and pants, with green-and-white aprons tied around their waists. Caps with
the logo "The Daily Grind" completed their uniforms.
One of the baristas, Harris, was a 28-year-old man who also worked as the assistant manager. Tyrell
had vouched for his honesty earlier, so I picked him from a long list of applicants.
He was burly, a typical 70s hairy man, and has an afro. Although he was a bit groovy, he did
graduate from college and has prior working experience.
I paid five dollars an hour for the assistant manager job, so people were lining up just for it.
The baristas earned three fifty an hour, which was already a big step up from the usual two to two
fifty that cafe workers in Point Place typically made.
"Hey Boss." Harris called me. "Are you ready to boogie?" He said playfully.
"Strike one." I warned him.
He immediately stopped goofing around and said seriously. "Okay Sir. Sorry Sir."
"Steven. Don't kill his grooviness. I think it's snazzy and adds character for the cafe." Mrs
Forman defended the assistant manager.
One of the servers, a mid 20s married woman came to me and said, "Sir. We're ready for the test."
Her clothes fit her tightly, and her mother's ass made the pants look snug. She's tall, brunette,
and also pleasant to look at.
"Beth, I'm only going to watch when they come, so you need to handle everything yourself." I said
firmly.
I was being casual during the training process, but they knew when to act professional and when to relax.
"Oh, it's a non-smoking shop!" Mrs Forman exclaimed in excitement as she saw the sign. "That's
good. Very good."
"You smoke." I exposed her immediately.
"I've quit!" She slapped my arm frantically in embarrassment.
"Why don't you try to order? Everything's free, so just try everything. But you need to tell us if
it suits your taste?" Harris brought Mrs Forman to the counter.
I sat at the table nearby, propping my head with my hand lazily. A minute later, Bob arrived at the
store with Midge.
"Hi, I want three turkey club sandwiches. Ooh! The Nutella sandwich. I don't know what that is, but
I want to try it. The egg salad sandwich. The fries, all of your drinks, and–"
"Bob! That's too much!" Midge stopped him.
"It's okay Midge. Everything's free!" Bob said excitedly.
I just chuckled as I saw the workers becoming increasingly nervous. It was a good thing to bring
Bob here.
Red also arrived, wearing his autoshop clothes.
"Red, I have ordered the coffees for you. Just drink it, and tell me which one suits your taste the
most." I told him.
He grimaced and said gruffly, "Fine."
I knew he hates complicated places, so this was good for him. I even ordered him some sandwiches.
Finally, the kids come back from school.
Jackie ordered the milkshake, Kelso ordered the frappucino, Donna ordered the latte, and Eric
ordered the hot chocolate.
"Look Eric! There's a leaf made of cream in my coffee! That's so classy!" Donna was excited. "And
croissants too! I feel like I'm in France!"
Fez ordered every single sweet desert we have. The cake, the donuts.
"The cakes are so delicious!" he said with a fanatical look. "I need to try them all!" He
whispered. We have 10 cakes to choose from. He tried them all. Even the pies too.
"The place is fine." Jackie said, seemingly to me as she was looking in my direction.
I ignored her, which made her gasp and said, "Alright then. I guess you don't need my opinion. Let
me tell you, my word carries a lot of weight in this town. I can just tell everyone this place
sucks, and no one will come."
"Then, I too have something to say to you." I smiled slightly. Kelso was alarmed and he immediately
pulled Jackie back.
"Jackie, don't do that alright? Hyde clearly put a lot of work in this place."
Kelso knew, after Eric explained things to him, that I was on the verge of spoiling what he was
doing to Jackie since I couldn't stand her.
If she kept being rude to me and I told her about him cheating, that would be on Kelso, not me.
"The total will be, 134 dollars." Harris came to me with the bill.
Everyone was shocked. "Hyde, you're paying for it?" Eric asked.
"Nope, I just need him to be comfortable using the register." I said casually. Harris nodded and
said, "Just eat casually.
Don't mind us."
"Michael! We're leaving!" Jackie stood up suddenly.
"But– But, I want to play with the Jukebox. And the crane machine!" Kelso complained.
"We're going to the movies. I'm not going to stay here with Steven around!" Jackie dragged him
away.
"Fine!" Kelso gave up. The two of them left the place.
Eric read a car magazine while drinking his coffee, and Donna checked out the translated French
book there.
Donna was falling in love with the store. She even whispered to Eric, "I think I want to come here
again tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. I want to come here all the time!"
"Well, I guess we can come. It's not totally a girly place." Eric muttered casually. "Hyde, there seems to be a crowd checking out the place." He called out to me.
I scoffed and went to the door.
A lot of school girls from Sacred Heart school and the uniform wearing Catholic schoolgirls from
'Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow' were hanging out by the walkway, curiously peeking at the
restaurant.
"Hey, how come you can get in?" One of them asked me curiously. She had a bowl cut, and wore
slightly old-fashioned clothes.
"I'm the manager here. We're having a test run for the cafe. Do you want to come in and try
ordering? It's free."
"Really?!" The girls squealed in excitement. "However, don't call your friends." I said quickly.
"We're closing soon."
"Okay~!"
I welcomed the girls inside the shop, which instantly turned it into a teen hangout spot. Boys and
girls were chatting together while drinking beverages. They wrote their opinion and put it in the
suggestion box like I told them to do.
Bob burped and turned to me with a stupid grin on his face, "Hyde. The food is amazing."
"It must be, since you ate the entire menu." Red looked at him with disbelief.
The flour was made from future flour, and I partnered up with a bakery for the pastries, bread and
cakes.
Red sighed and said, "Well. It's not that bad. The coffee's… good."
That was basically Red Forman's talk for being overwhelmed with emotions and experiencing a life
changing taste journey.
"And the drive-through idea is also good. I can just stop by without having to deal with the noisy
kids hanging around here." He added.
Red left in a hurry as the place was swarmed with kids. Midge, Bob and Kitty also left after
telling me their opinions.
Mrs Forman said, "Ooh. Steven. The place is so snazzy. But it's more for teens and young adults. I
do enjoy the drinks."
"I guess since it's near a school," I added. "Well, it's fine." Mrs Forman laughed. "I think the
place will be really successful!"
The cafe only opened till 5 pm. Megan, Tyrell, Mrs Ling, and Jeff came to the shop. But they took
orders to go. I even tested out the drive through by telling some kids to use it.
"Finally." I went to the door, and opened it.
Outside, Barbara and Amy were standing with a wary and uncomfortable expression, mostly because there's too many kids around the place, wanting to get in.
"Hey, how come they can get in?" One of them asked me daringly.
"Cause she's my girlfriend." I said casually and pulled Barbara inside.
She blushed slightly, and then scolded me, "You didn't see me for 10 days after making me your
girlfriend. When you finally called, it's to test out a cafe? Do you even remember that you and I
are together?"
Honestly I forgot about it.
"I do remember. I was busy. You saw the show on TV, right?"
Barbara sighed and said, "Alright. I'll let you off with a warning for now."
"So you're a lady cop? I hate cops, but I'm fine if you want to wear the uniform–"
She hits my arm immediately, blushing hard in front of Eric and Donna. We all sat at the same
table.
Someone put a Led Zeppelin song on the jukebox.
Fez was playing with the crane machine and whined, "How come I never got anything?!"
A few girls already won the plushies. He kept playing and playing, but he couldn't do it. Finally,
he gave up and joined us.
Barbara hugged my arm and said, "Steven. This place is so nice and cozy."
"It's also, really classy!" Donna interjected.
I smiled in satisfaction and said, "Thank god. I worked a lot to make it happen."
Eric asked, "Why do you work so hard? It's not your cafe… Unless…" He gasped.
I frowned and said, "I'm not. I'm the manager. Not the owner. But I can reserve a table permanently
if you want."
"YES! DEFINITELY!" Donna stood up abruptly and shouted, gaining everyone's attention.
"What about you Barbara?" I asked as I saw her enjoying the pumpkin latte.
"I love it too. But it's too far away from my house. Unless someone picks me up, I cannot come
here."
She didn't have a car. Amy has one, but it was a junk car she just bought with her savings.
Amy moved out of her parent's house into an apartment with Brooke. Like me, Amy also would turn 18 soon. She had only 4 months till it happened, so the parents didn't mind much about her moving away.
Her dad wasn't like Barbara's dad or Red, who's protective of their daughter. So she had to be
independent early.
The store closed at 5 o'clock sharp. Everyone was reluctant to leave the cafe, and I stayed behind
alone to check the operation.
Barbara left with Amy to go check out her apartment. They invited me too, but I would go there
after I finished with the store.
"The cost was 200 bucks. If we charged money, we would get 600 bucks. That's already a good number for a short evening." Harris told me.
I nodded in understanding and said, "Many ordered a lot since it was free. They won't order like
this if it's a normal day. You know what to do on opening day and the first week?"
Harris nodded and said, "Keep a close record to find out the cost of running the whole operation."
The opening day was mostly for telling people about the shop's presence in the town. The recurring customers were the one who would help make it stay.
I read the suggestion box, and some people wanted real food instead of just sandwiches.
But if I put pasta or burgers, the smell of coffee will be drowned out by the greasy smells. If the
suggestion piled up, maybe I'd consider it.
Before I could close, I heard a soft knock on the door. Brooke, the librarian, stood in front of
the door awkwardly.
"Am I too late?" She said as I opened the door. She wore a tight floral blouse and long skirt, which
made her look quite lovely.
"Yeah. The place is closing." I said flatly. "Here, I have some drinks here. You can bring it home
with you." I showed her the leftovers selection.
She picked the espresso and exclaimed as she drank it, "Ooh! It's actually really good." She turned
to me slightly and asked, "Where's the coffee beans from?"
I smiled in satisfaction and said, "Myanmar."
"Huh? Where is that? I have memorized over 100 countries, but I don't know where that is." Brook
was skeptical.
"Oh sorry. It's still called Burma." I said after thinking about it.
She furrowed her eyebrows and said, "I've never heard coffee beans from that place."
"But it's good?"
"Yes."
"Then, it's good enough. Why don't you take a look around? That book nook is your idea, so check it out too."
She approached the green couch and ran her fingers lightly over the spines. Her eyes widened as she skimmed the selection.
"Oh! 'The Poetry of Emily Dickinson'… I've wanted to read this for ages, but it's so hard to find,"
she whispered, holding the small hardcover reverently.
She flipped through a few pages, then gasped. "And… 'The Wondering Wombles'? Wow, this is amazing. And, wait—'Dune'? I didn't expect to see Dune here."
She laughed slightly as she picked up the Dune book. "Hey I like Dune." I said defensively.
Her eyes darted across the shelves. "And… 'Lord of the Rings'… 'On the Road'… Oh! 'The Electric
Kool-Aid Acid Test'! 'Passenger to Frankfurt?'. You actually read these?"
I shrugged casually. I did read everything there.
She looked at me, her face bright with curiosity. "You even got counterculture stuff… wow."
George Orwell books basically.
"I love poetry." She gushed. "Can I bring it home? Please?" She hugged the Maya Angelou poem book.
I leaned against the edge of the bookshelf. "If you like poetry, who's your favorite?"
She hesitated, then smiled. "Sappho. I've been obsessed with her work lately. The fragments, the
emotion… it's so alive."
I smiled slightly. "Interesting. I like Kafka."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Kafka? Really? I didn't think anyone in town would even know him."
She was really close to me as she was so excited.
"'A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.'" I glanced at her. "That's why I love his
writing. It cuts through the routine, wakes you up."
She blinked, a slow smile spreading across her face. "What's your favorite work of his?" She asked
curiously. "I guess, it's Metamorphosis." I replied.
"Why?" She was slightly confused. "I've read it before, but it's quite disgusting."
"Well," I picked up a Kafka poetry book. The story's about Gregor Samsa. One morning, he wakes up as a giant bug. At first, it seems absurd."
"But it's really about how the people around him treat him once he can't… provide."
My voice turned slightly deeper.
"Gregor was the main breadwinner in his family. He worked long hours to support them, and suddenly, he's useless in their eyes. They see him as a burden."
Brooke's eyes widened. "Oh… So… it's like a metaphor?"
"Exactly," I said casually. "It's about value. Back then, and honestly, even now, men are often
measured by what they can do for others. What they can provide."
"Gregor loses his job, loses his place in the family. And the moment he can't contribute, they stop
seeing him as a person. They only see him as a problem… a bug in their lives. Literally and
figuratively."
I shrugged lightly. "It's kind of harsh. But it hits the truth. Men, society… we're expected to
earn, to provide, to hold things together."
"And if we fail, even for reasons beyond our control, we suddenly don't matter as much. Gregor's
metamorphosis… it shows that painfully. How fragile a man's worth can be in the eyes of others."
Brooke leaned closer, intrigued. "So… his family didn't care who he was, just what he did?"
"Exactly. They valued him for what he could give, not for who he was. And that's the tragedy, and
also the lesson. Kafka makes it uncomfortable, but it's real."
"If a man is only seen for what he can provide, then losing that… you feel invisible, expendable. That's why I like it. It's more than a weird bug story. It's about human worth, responsibility, and how society judges a man by his usefulness."
I smiled slightly, but Brooke's eyes shook when she saw it. She touched my cheek and said, "You
look… like you're in pain…"
"What? Oh, I guess I'm tired–"
Before I could say more, she leaned in impulsively, pressing her lips to mine. I froze for a
heartbeat, then gently responded. Seconds later, she pulled back, eyes wide, cheeks flushed.
"What– Why did I do that– I'm… I'm sorry, Steven–" She inhaled deeply and exhaled out to calm
herself down.
"That's… okay," I managed, still a little stunned. "I have a girlfriend–"
She bit her lip, glanced around nervously, then whispered quickly, "I think I'm done looking around
for now. I'll see you later–no, not later… I'll see you around."
"She ran away… Oh well…" I put the book back and closed up
the shop.