December 30
Gemini Chocolates
The Laneways
Today’s Horoscope: Your unique point of view and love of life is what makes you special, Gemini. Your belief that the universe is still inherently good will bring you the love that you need.
Kira was singing. It tended to happen, when her playlist started playing a really good song and her body just needed to move. And Janet Jackson’s “All For You” was one of her favorites, even if she’d forgotten most of the lyrics.
“So Curl Up and Dye’s landlord renewed their lease near the Cathedral,” Ate Nessie announced, as she entered Gemini, brushing past the customers who were curiously watching the owner totally killing it on the choreography that she made up on the spot. “They’re not going to get the space here na.”
“That’s a shame.” Kira shrugged. “I was looking forward to the salon...making the cut.”
“You’re in a good mood,” Ate Nessie noted dryly, shaking her head at the joke. Kira pretended not to notice that the Laneways’ favorite Ate’s tone was pointed. So pointed it was practically a Seurat (ha! that class on art history paid off).
Ate Nessie was still giving Kira a look as she sat in the lone bistro table and batibot chairs by the window, a set Kira had rescued from her grandmother’s storage. Ate Nessie raised a hand, and one of Kira’s staff immediately served her usual cup of tsokolate. Ate Nessie preferred hers extremely glossy and thick, and got it without the extra splash of milk the shop usually added first.
Kira tried not to think of the last time she had hot chocolate, because really, she had thought about itso many timesalready.
“Have you ever seen Temptation Island?” Kira asked Ate Nessie seemingly apropos to nothing. “The movie?”
“1980 or 2011?” Ate Nessie asked, and before Kira could chide her for it, she shook her head. “I mean, I wouldneverwatch a movie like that! Even if I am a fan of Dina Bonnevie.”
“Uh-huh,” Kira said. “There’s that scene where they’re on the beach, walang tubig, walang pagkain...let’s just start dancing!”
Then she started dancing, which only made Ate Nessie look at her even more worried. Kira stopped and sighed, knowing she was simply using the music to mask her pain. She dropped her shoulders and slid onto the chair across from Ate Nessie.
“I got an email from Tito Nicos today,” Kira explained in a soft voice, making sure nobody else in the shop could hear. “They’ve decided not to renew my contract for next year as manager of the Laneways. Apparently Uno’s taking over that. So they want access to all our files, our spreadsheets and reports.”
“What!” Ate Nessie exclaimed, the blood draining from her face. “Do you...do you mean, I’m fired?”
“No! Oh god, no, Ate Ness. I would never do that to you.” Kira jumped up and gave Ate Nessie a quick hug to reassure her. “We made your contract ironclad all the way to your retirement package, so you’re fine. But this will be my last year, so...dance party.”
Ate Nessie looked relieved, but only for a moment. “So that’s it. It’s over. They’re taking over the Laneways. And you seem to be taking it well.” She even started dancing, the way Kira had earlier. “The Laneways is your baby.”
“I’m still processing,” Kira admitted. “But I always figured this would happen. It may be my baby, but I’m just a surrogate, and I’m done birthing it.” She winced at the awkward metaphor. “The Laneways always belonged to the family. I was put in charge because I needed a place to start over six years ago, and it gave me that.”
No need to remind Ate Nessie that the Laneways had solved two of the family’s bigger problems back then—what to do with land that wasn’t generating income, and Kira’s sudden unemployment from what was supposed to be her dream job. That Kira enjoyed running the Laneways, let it grow in the direction it needed to, was just a bonus.
But things grew, and people had to move on.
“I’m okay letting it go,” Kira assured her. “But the email also mentioned that Kuya Uno was keeping an eye on Gemini, and I’m actually worried about that. Gemini is myactualbaby. Something I made, and gave me purpose, and not just something to do.”
That was the difference, wasn’t it? One of the world’s biggest lies was that you would always be happy doing what you love. But “doing” in and of itself meant work. Meant stress, meant days when you didn’t love the thing so much. But it only made the love all the more special. Kira liked making chocolate. Shelovedselling it to other people, loved making them happy, and building memories around things that she made.
It was romantic, a result of her privilege, and almost terribly ideal, but it satisfied Kira. Helped her get through those long days when her chocolate simply refused to temper, when her machines gave up, when her beans didn’t come in or got lost in the mail, or when someone told her that they didn’t like her chocolate.
It was just that she couldn’t fully map out her own thoughts, couldn’t explain how those thoughts grew into firm, solid plans, plans that she knew would work. Like reading pegging on-page for the first time and not truly understanding it until someone explained exactly how it worked.
“There are still things I can do for Gemini, Ate Nessie,” she said, so full of determination she felt dizzy with it.
“Ah yes. This deal with pogi. Si Santi.” Ate Nessie’s brow rose sardonically. “He’s coming to taste your chocolate today, no? You two seem to be getting closer. Ala eh, don’t deny it. Don’t think I didn’t notice you spending more and more time with him. First the garden, then that ride back to Lipa.”
How did she even know about that?
“Look at you! Kinikilig ka ga,” Ate Nessie chortled, even as Kira gasped and pressed her hands to her cheeks just to get them to stop blushing. Because yes, fine, she was kilig, but it was really, really hard not to be when she really was spending so much time with Santi.
“No ah!” she said, and god, denial was a bad look on her. “I was...blushing because, BTS is playing!”
