Stories from the Cedar Cafè, Jessica 6

It was Jessica's last day at The Cedar Cafè.

This weekend she would be packing and on Monday off to Mauritius with her boyfriend Filippo.

She set out the tray of freshly baked almond pastries and made sure all the coffee machines were sparkling and the filters clean. Friday morning was always busy.
The women who had their hair done for the weekend at the New Wave and the shoppers. Two business men came in and set up their laptops in the Free WiFi area and two elderly women sat at the window tables looking out at the activity on the street. The Wifi had been Filippo's idea, it was a huge success.
A very handsome man came in and sat at the table in the corner, took out some writing paper and started scribbling away with a dreamy look on his face. He had asked for espresso, rolling his rs like Filippo, the Italian way.

Jessica had met Filippo at a night club in London. She had gone to stay with a school friend, Joely, who was a ballerina in 'The Rocky Horror Show' and they had gone to the night club with the cast after the show.
Filippo was working at the bar, mixing cocktails and put on a great display just for her, looking at her all the time. Joely had nudged her :

'He looks like Tom Cruise. I  think he fancies you Jess, look at the way he's looking at you, he's smitten.'

Jessica had laughed, but then Filippo had put a large reddish drink in front of her with a flourish.

'This is for you, on the house, it's my special Spritz.'

He had looked at her with such eagerness and with such a disarming manner she had thanked him and taken a sip of the drink.

'Oh it's delicious thank you,' she'd laughed and then they had started  asking each other questions, a month of questions in half an hour, afraid that the night would end and they would lose each other.

A month later, Filippo had come to Westonbury to meet her parents and she had taken him to The Cedar Cafè to show him where she worked.
Jessica had left school with one A level and had no wish to carry on studying.  She had worked in the Cedar Cafè at weekends for three years and Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan asked her if she would like to work full time. their only son Geoffrey worked in Bristol in an Insurance office and didn't seem interested in the cafè and they were getting old.

Filippo was enthusiastic about the cafè. His parents had a Pasticceria in the Veneto, in Northern Italy. His father had  gone to Moscow for six months to teach a small team how to make his pastries and  chocolates. Filippo said how the people of the Veneto were well-known for their work ethic, their high professional standards and good taste.

He'd winked at Jessica then, 'You can see I have good taste ...'

She'd felt a flutter in her stomach as he looked at her.

'You're not so bad yourself, Filippo,' she'd said quietly.

Filippo had studied Fine Arts and wanted to be an artist. He had already had a few exhibitions and sold quite a few of his paintings but worked in the Night Club to improve his English and have the days free to paint.

Jessica's parents and Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan were charmed by Filippo, his enthusiasm and his good looks, but most of all his obvious devotion to Jessica. He came to Westonbury every weekend.

He showed them how to make proper Italian coffee and suggested some good retailers. He told them that they should consider trends, make room for WIFI users, and have coffee tasting sessions to make people aware of the different quality and flavour of the coffee. He suggested exhibiting the work of local artists, poetry reading evenings and live music on Saturday evenings. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan were delighted with the improvements to their cafè.  Geoffrey and his girlfriend, Paulina from Warsaw came home one weekend and were  pleasantly surprised at all the changes. Geoffrey took Jessica aside.

'You put me to shame Jessica. I should have helped my parents enter the twenty first century. Paulina says she'd like to come and work here. What do you think? I don't want to tread on  your toes.'

Jessica was quick to reassure him.

'It's what I like doing Geoffrey. I love being with people and I think that with all the modern ways to communicate we are in danger of alienating ourselves. A coffee bar can be a way of keeping people together.  I think it's great if Paulina wants to work here, It actually makes my decision easier.'

The week before, Filippo had told Jessica and her parents that he had been offered a job in Mauritius. He was to set up a coffee bar in a new hotel. There were government incentives. It would be for a year.'

Jessica's parents had looked at her.

'Whatever our Jessie wants we will support her.'

She had hugged them both and said that she'd think about it for a week.
She took out her phone and looked a the text that had just come in.

'I love you with all my heart. You are beautiful. Thank you for believing in me.'
Her heart flipped. A hot feeling crept over her.

Jessica served some hot cappuccinos the way that Filippo had shown her, making the froth rich and creamy and sprinkling cocoa over a heart-shaped stencil. The schoolgirls on the sofa were enchanted.

'Oh look a heart, it's a sign, he must like me.'

Jessica thought how she needed a sign too. She loved Filippo and the last year together had been the most romantic, exciting year of her life. She had agreed to go to Mauritius because she knew that if she didn't go she would spend the rest of her life thinking of what might have been. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

The door of the Cedar Cafè opened and one of her regulars stood in the doorway. A very attractive older woman who was best friends with her neighbour Maura. Someone was standing behind her, a lovely dark haired girl with a bright friendly face.

The handsome man who had been busy writing and drinking espressos looked at them and then wrote something on the paper. As he held it up, Jessica gasped. He had written, "Will you marry me?". This surely must be a sign. Jessica's heart sang, she felt like celebrating the new young couple, she called out to all the customers: to celebrate she would offer them all free coffee.

Her phone beeped for a text, she looked quickly at it.

'I wanted to wait till we got to Mauritius but I am too impatient. Please Jessica will you marry me?'