“Um . . .” Clearing my throat, I ran my hand down my neck as he continued to frown down at me. “Hi, Haji. You probably don’t remember me, but I’m Zina’s sister, Zoe.”
“Of course I remember you. You look just like her.”
“Yeah.” Chuckling nervously, I squeezed the back of my neck. “I tried so hard to get away from her memory so long, but I could never run away from seeing her in my face.”
When he reached his hand out and cupped my cheek, my eyes fluttered closed. I shivered under his touch. Haji tilted my head, and I imagined looking at me felt like looking at my sister, so I gave him the space to do that. It wasn’t until his hand dropped that I opened my eyes and looked at him. He still looked angry, which still threw me off.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, not necessarily with an attitude, but with enough bite in his voice to not sound friendly.
“Mama called and told me the shop isn’t doing well.”
Haji chuckled. “Yeah, well you can see that for yourself now.”
“It’s always like this?” I asked, looking around again.
“Unfortunately. You’d know that if you hadn’t left.”
Sighing, I decided to let him get out what he needed to get out.
“I know you didn’t ask for this responsibility. Zina wanted me to run this place, and because I left, it fell on you. I didn’t think you’d do it, but I’m glad you did. Go ahead. Yell at me. Get it all out.”
Haji took his glasses off and squeezed the bridge of his nose. His jaw clenched as he put the glasses back on.
“You don’t get to walk in here and demand I yell at you after a decade of being gone. I’ll tell you how I feel about what you did when I feel like it.”
He probably hadn’t meant for that to make me smile, but it did.
“Fair enough,” I muttered with a smile. “I’m gonna take this place off your hands. Business is horrible, and my sister’s memory deserves better. I’m gonna sell it, and you won’t have to worry about this place anymore.”
Haji made his way around the counter, and my heart raced for a different reason now.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, Zoe?” He seethed quietly, closing the space between us. “You don’t get to come in here and make a decision like that.”
“Actually, I do. She left this place to me.”
“Yeah, but I’m the one that’s been running it since you left. Business is trash, but I’m not giving up on this place. I know how much it meant to your sister, and while you might not give a fuck about that, I do.”
Scoffing, I clutched my chest as my head jerked from his audacity.
“Of course I care. I care so much that I’m not going to let what my sister loved more than anything die right along with her. This place should be packed with customers, but it’s not.”
“I don’t need you to tell me what I already know!” he yelled. “Now if you want to help me restore this place to its glory, cool, but I’m not going to let you give up on it. On her. If that’swhat you came here for, you can take your ass wherever the fuck you’ve been hiding for the past ten years. I won’t deny that business has taken a hit, but I’ll get it back if that’s the last thing I do.”
Before I could respond, he was walking away. I understood his anger, but I wasn’t expecting so much of it. Then again, Haji was entitled to more. He’d taken on the responsibility of this shop, without question, for Zina and, in a way, me. My parents weren’t stable enough to do it, and I allowed my anger to keep me away. His love and loyalty for her allowed him to step up in a way I was unwilling to.
Maybe I hadn’t gone about this the right way. I should have thanked him for his service and sacrifice instead of coming in telling him I was going to sell the place. With a groan, I headed out of the shop. I’d have to apologize and make things right with Haji, but for right now, I’d give him space.
My tears poured rapidly as I stared at the box that held my sister’s coffee and pastry recipes. I’d put my big girl panties on and gone to her apartment. As I suspected, grief hit me hard, but once it settled, I was consumed by the warmth and happiness that could only come from being in her space. The apartment was a memorial for her, and it made me love and appreciate my parents a little more for keeping it.
My fingers ran over the mission statement she’d created for Grounds 4 Love. Attached to it was a note that explained the name.
I went to school to become a lawyer.
Late nights in the diner drinking coffee while studying fueled me.
Working as a barista made me happy.
I passed the bar, tried my first case, and realized I loved coffee more than I loved law.
