The Marigold Scripture

In a quaint little village was a quaint little tea shop. This little shop served almost anything your hungry mind imagined in the region of sweet treats and cakes and tea and coffee.

Cafe Chocolat was one of those cafes/tea shops that was not very often frequented by people who had busy days ahead of them, more for people who liked to slow down and enjoy watching the world go by, moment by moment.

Indeed, one such person had frequented the cafe since it had opened, every Saturday, for the last five years. She would always pick the plush pink chintz armchair facing the window, overlooking the beach and the sea. The one thing she loved about the place was the quiet and calm. It gave her the ability to relax and work all at the same time, while enjoying the cafe's prized coffees and cakes.

From where she was situated in the cafe, Mara could still see the comings and goings of everyone, her back was to the wall, her chair angled so she could see the interior of the beautiful cafe and the promenade that led to the beach. Perfect. It stirred the imagination as she would sit there and type away at the laptop, lost in worlds of romance and happily ever afters.

One day, one rainy Saturday, she was there, protesting against the bad weather and still sitting in the same seat, keen to have a view of the roiling storm in the sky.

“Your usual, Mara?”

Mrs Devlin was a sweet woman in her fifties with a talent for baking. She said she had started Cafe Chocolat out of love for the art of baking. The coffees and teas had somehow wormed their way into the business, making it more than just a bakery. But the locals who knew of Cafe Chocolat were grateful for the coffees and the fact that they could have a little gossip and chat over a slice of cake or pie, or while dunking biscuits in their tea or enjoying scones and fresh cream.

Mara looked up at Mrs Devlin and smiled. “Yes, please, Mrs Devlin. Could I also try some of that new cake on display there?”

She pointed to a tall chocolate cake, layered with colourful icing and decorated with small golden patterns trailing up one side of the cake. It looked heavenly.

“Ahhh you’ve seen my newest creation! I’ll bring you a slice, Mara, don’t you worry. I’d actually like your opinion on this one.”

Mara’s heart swelled at the thought of Mrs Devlin valuing her opinion. Mara had moved to the town seven years ago, alone, and had been that way ever since. Her moving here was a whirlwind of suitcases packed in her trunk with a couple of small boxes and a wedding dress flung carelessly onto the back seat. Mrs Devlin had been the first to spot the desolate woman, arriving into a new village with nothing but a broken heart and the tatters of an old life.

Daily talks with Mrs Devlin after she had barged into Mara’s home to crush her in a welcoming bear hug became the norm and Mara had slowly begun to heal. She felt comfort in this tea shop, knowing Mrs Devlin was right here with her.

As she looked out at the storm brewing outside, she felt nothing but calm inside. It had taken a long time for her to get over everything, but she had. And she had made a successful career out of working remotely, so she never had to leave the village to go back to the city. Everything she needed was here, in the beauty of the land around her and in the comfort and wisdom of Mrs Devlin and her tea shop.

Mara stared at the slice of chocolate cake that Mrs Devlin had placed before her. It was a beautiful sliver of cake and Mrs Devlin had made sure to include some of that beautifully coloured icing and the golden detail too. The coffee next to it had a rich and pleasant aroma and she inhaled slowly, a moment of pure joy. The cake...she leaned forward and sniffed gently. She could feel her mouth begin to water as the sensation of the chocolatey smell rushed through her, leaving her senses tingling and eager to taste the sweet treat in front of her.

She looked up to see where Mrs Devlin had gone and noticed she had made her way into the back of the shop, where she usually did the baking. Her opinion. Mara smiled as she picked up the little silver fork at the side of the plate and leaned forward, scooping a little of the slice onto the fork and popping it into her mouth.

Was this what heaven felt like? The rich chocolate wasn’t too heavy and the cake was fluffy and light, the sponge being gently held together by chocolate buttercream. The icing had a small zing to it, just right for colourful icing. Each colour seemed to have its own individual texture and the result wasn’t an overwhelming flood of flavour but a pleasant wash of taste on the tongue, a simple dance of delicate delights.

Mara’s feet did a little happy dance under the table, a quirky habit that came out whenever she really enjoyed something.

A soft chuckle came from beside her. “You really like that cake, huh?”

Mara froze, her eyes still closed. That voice! She hadn’t heard it in seven years, and now it was here?

Reluctantly she opened, and in front of her stood the man who had crushed her heart. The room suddenly felt smaller and the cake felt dry inside her mouth as she continued chewing slowly, feeling like she had been caught in a trap.

She finished chewing and swallowed the cake. She promptly picked up her coffee and took a sip, washing down the remains of the cake before speaking. “Why are you here?”

Antonio sat in the small armchair across from her, leaning forward and placing his hands in front of him on the table, outstretched, waiting for hers. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to talk.”

Mara shrank back in her seat, seeking the safety of the chintz as she processed what he had just said to her. “I can’t. We can’t. It’s been seven years. It’s been too long. You never tried before. You’re here out of the blue. You can’t be.”

Mrs Devlin had been watching the exchange from behind the counter, her eyes narrowed at the stranger who had dared to ruin the atmosphere and upset poor Mara. She knew who he was. She had heard Mara’s story.

She wiped at a teacup gently with a dish towel as she watched on, waiting to see what would happen. This tea shop just got a little drama today, but Mrs Devlin hoped it wouldn’t result in more upset. She would watch and wait…

So in Cafe Chocolat, on a stormy Saturday, began the unwinding of the first drama it had seen in a couple of years.

To be continued...