This is for Maki Chan's contest and I may make some more changes so reviews would be helpful!
I breathed in the scent of a crisp cold winter morning. My faded blue jeans kept me temporarily warm as I walked to my shop. “Good morning Emma!” the newspaper stand guy, Charles, said, waving to me as I walked by. A cold wind blew in my direction, making a few strands of my auburn hair blow from their hiding place under my knitted beanie.
The city of New York was full of pedestrians as usual, but I didn’t mind. This was where I was meant to be, and I loved it here. As I came to the small brick shop on the corner I smiled.
This was my small business, my wonderful shop. I took out my cold metal key and unlocked the shop and walked into the cheerful red, blue, and green store. The booths and chairs were getting tears in them, but it was a cheerful store, just the same.
I began wiping the tables and counters, refilling the syrup and toppings bar. I was getting some butterscotch out of the fridge when the lights suddenly flicked on and Christmas music blared from some speakers above.
I smiled, Berry was at the shop. I walked out of the kitchen and saw my employee and friend, Barbara Jackson (everyone called her Berry) standing at the smooth hot chocolate maker. “Hello Berry,” I grinned. Berry had gentle brown eyes, and was in her early thirties. She had four kids already, all but one in school, so she was able to come and work with me while her daughter was at Day Care.
“Ready to get to work?” she smiled.
I nodded, me, being a single woman of age twenty two didn’t know how to run a business on my own. Berry finished cleaning up the kitchen, wiping everything down twice before I flicked on the OPEN sign.
The red letters gleamed on the window as I read my shop’s name. Emma’s Hot Cocoa Shop. As soon as I walked away from the door the bell rang. I looked behind me and saw our usual first customer. Little Emily Rider. “Can I have a hot cocoa?” she smiled. She was in the first grade, and always came before school started.
“Sure,” I smiled and got her usual small cup of hot cocoa with little marshmallows. I took it over to her and she gave me one dollar and looked up at me in dispair when she couldn't find the extra three quarters. “Emily,” I whispered. “Is this all you have?”
She nodded. “I’m sorry, momma can’t afford to give me much allowance now, or so she says.” Emily put her finger to her trembling lip and I swear I could see tears in her sky blue eyes.
“Emily, its okay. Why don’t you keep this, you can have hot chocolate for free any morning you want. Just as long as you keep visiting me.” Her lips curved into a smile and she quickly drank her hot cocoa.
“Thank you Emma, thank you!” she took the two dollars and skipped out the door and down the street towards her school. I smiled.
“Good job Emma,” Berry told me and we went back to work. It was a while before we got out next customer, but I knew him well. His name was Jack Liters and he was a usual customer, always came around eight thirty.
“Hey Emma,” he said and came up to the counter, slicking back his hair, in a supposedly “sexy” way. “Can I have a hot butterscotch cocoa and a small bag of muddy buddies, to go,” he said, flashing his white teeth.
“Berry, get a small bag of muddy buddies will you?” I asked.
“Right on it!” she replied and I quickly made the hot chocolate, drizzling butterscotch on top of the white whipped cream. “So Emma, I hear you’re still single?” Jack asked.
“Why yes Jack, and I intend to stay that way for a while.” I smiled, pushing his hot cup of cocoa towards him. He grabbed my hand, making my emerald eyes make contact with his stormy gray ones.
“Well you are over twenty…”
“What are you calling me an old single woman Jack? Because if you are…you should know by now that its really not all that flattering,” I said coldly, turning my head and flashing a smile at Berry.
“Now, I wasn’t meaning that Emma,” he began but I cut him off, pulling my hand away from his grip.
“Here are your muddy buddies Jack, have a nice day,” I sneered playfully and shoved the bag towards him. “Oh and that will be $4.50,” I smiled.
“Oh, well here you go, and a tip,” he placed two dollars in the small fish tip jar and left, winking at me as he walked out the door.
As soon as I could no longer see him out the window, I burst into laughter. I was still laughing when Mary Watson walked in. She was wearing a cute black skirt and her usual white blouse.
“Hurry Emma, I have to get to work.”
“Alright Mary, what will it be today?”
“Oh…can I have that new peppermint hot chocolate?” she asked quickly, glancing out the window at her waiting cab.
“Mhmm, coming right up.” I quickly poured the cocoa, sugar, and milk in our hot cocoa maker, adding a few dashes of peppermint. Finally as I poured it in a Styrofoam cup I added a candy cane. “Have a nice day Mary!” I called and she zoomed out of the store, giving me a ten dollar bill.
“Guess she wanted me to keep the change,” I smiled and placed it in the cash register.
The store started getting busy around noon, since everyone came to warm up with a yummy drink before they had to get back to work. By closing time at ten thirty P.M. I was beat. Berry had had to leave nearly five hours ago, and I had been working all by myself.
When I was cleaning up the remains the bell rang, I sighed. Another customer, but I quickly smiled when I saw a piece of paper in the seventeen year old boy’s hand. “Hey Jake!” I said and quickly walked over to him.
“Sorry I was so late, I had a lot of homework,” he mumbled and handed me the application.
“No problem, I’ll look this over tonight and give you a call tomorrow alright?” he nodded in response. “Would you like to help me finish cleaning up?” I asked, and he nodded yet again.
The work went by much faster, and at the end I gave him a free cup of peppermint hot chocolate and we ate the last of the muddy buddies that were made that day.
“Have a nice night!” I called after him as he left. He waved back and I saw him climb into a silver Honda and drive down the busy New York streets.
“It will be much easier when there are three hands around here.” I sighed and walked out, locking the shop behind me. I walked down the dark streets of New York, loving the Christmas lights around every light post.
I watched my breath turn into steam in the night air, slowly dissapearing. It was cold, but I saw many people singing Christmas carols as they walked down the streets, and I couldn’t help but sing along.
It truly was a season to be jolly. I loved the feel of New York City, I loved the feel of the cheerfulness of Christmas, but most of all, I loved my little shop. My little shop, where I had friends greeting me every morning. The little shop where I could make people smile, and warm them from the cold.
My little shop. Emma’s Hot Cocoa Shop.
