Some things change

4.5 Mae West

Spring 1996, Café Hare and Hedgehog

The café Mae decided to visit this sunny spring morning on her walk to the old town was cramped full with perhaps all of Windenburg getting their morning coffee before going to their work offices. 

Maybe she shouldn't have gone at this hour yet, but she woke up early and got bored in the house. 

It took a while until she finally received her caffé latte.

But the terrace was empty, even though the sun shone warm already.

Mae took a moment to appreciate the view she had here on to the sea. It was so peacful today.

She took out the book she started reading last night. It was one of the few fiction books, and probably the only romance novel she found in Linda's otherwise well sorted library. Well, "Pride and Prejudice" was a classic, and she believed to remember that it belonged to the literature class' reading matters when they were still in high school.

Maybe that's why Linda owned it.

A sudden noise of dish clutter, stumbling and something like a curse made her look up. The man kneeling next to her froze when he saw her.

"Hi there", Mae said, with a smile.

He still didn't move.

"Don't you want to get up?", she continued. The man let out an uncomfortable small laugh and brushed off his pants while slowly standing up.

"Come join me", she offered friendly. "I'm Mae, by the way."

"Uhm, my name is Herbert", he finally said while sitting next to her.

"This was a bit embarrassing", he added, with another nervous laugh.

"Hey, I had fun at least!", Mae said, trying to ease him up a little.

"I just came back to Windenburg a few months ago", she continued, "and it doesn't look like anything changed here. And I was gone for over a year since my last visit."

"Not really. Things usually stay the same here", he said, looking like he finally got his composure back.

"How long have you lived here?", Mae asked him.

"I don't live here.. I'm just here with the Oasis Springs Junior High Basketball Team for a competition. I'm from Oasis Springs." 

"Uhm...", he just seemed to realize that his last sencence was kinda obvious.

Mae laughed. He looked even more confused now.

She found him hilarious. 

"So you're a teacher?", she asked, curious to know more about him.

"N-no, just the coach..." he replied shyly.

"Uhm... may I ask where you have been before?", he asked, and added after a small break, "...before coming back to Windenburg"

"You may. I was in Paris, learning how to become a chef."

"Oh, great! I bet you make awesome food!", he said, maybe with a little bit too much excitement.

"Of course!", Mae said, laughing.

She decided she liked Herbert.