Chapter 22

Dad dropped me off at the cafe and went home to Mom. He had to tell her what Mr. Cress had told us and also discuss the future plan of action. 

I did not understand what plan of action he was talking about. We had no choice. We could not pay that much money. We had nothing except the house. And even on that house we already had a loan.

I pushed open the glass doors and stepped inside, the familiar aroma of coffee and vanilla hitting me like a punch in the gut. 

I blinked back tears and took in the sight of customers scattered across the tables and couches, lost in their own worlds. I saw Zuri behind the counter taking an order, laughing at something that the customer said. 

Keeping my head down, I rushed towards the kitchen and closed the door behind me. 

"Why? Why? Why?" I had taken only a few steps when my knees gave way and I slid to the floor. My strength broke. 

I had to bite the back of my sleeve to prevent screaming out loud as I burst into tears. 

I leaned forward, bringing my forehead to my knees as my arms wrapped around myself. 

No… No… No. 

Why? 

Why me?

Why? 

"Ira, oh my, Ira." 

Zuri's arms wrapped around my shoulders. "What happened?"

I let her pull me into a hug. 

"It's okay, it's okay," she whispered into my ear. 

I cried on her shoulder, my chest aching with each sob. 

I can't take this. 

I can't. 

"Oh, my Lord, Ira!" 

I felt another pair of arms around me.

Elisha. 

I let go of Zuri slowly and turned around to see her kneeling next to me. Her own eyes were brimming with tears as she tried to comfort me. 

I flung my arms around her and held her as close to me as possible. 

"She… She… my café… I—" I could not even get the words out as the tears rattled my body.

"I feel like… like I'm dying," I heard myself say. 

***

"Water?" asked Stefan, extending a glass towards me. 

I shook my head, as I lay curled up on the couch with my head in Elisha's lap, who continued to gently stroke my hair. 

It was way past midnight, and we were still at Coffee Tales.

I had been crying since morning and there was physically no more strength left within me to cry. My throat was hoarse and parched, my chest and ribs ached, my stomach was twisted in pain, my temples throbbed, and a hammering headache had taken over my entire head. 

I had never cried this bad in my life before. I had never felt this horrible sensation that rippled through my entire body, consuming every little will to live and swallowing me up whole from inside. 

"You should eat something and sleep, Ira," said Elisha. "You are exhausted."

I had no intention of eating anything. How could I even muster up an appetite? How could I swallow a morsel without throwing up? 

But I looked around at the worn out faces of Stefan, Elisha and even Zuri, who had stayed back past the closing hours until now. Stefan had told her everything and the distress on her face was evident of how disturbed she was after hearing the news. 

For the sake of the three of them, I sat up slowly. "I just want to go home." 

Elisha nodded in understanding. "I will take you."

I attempted to stand up, but my hands and feet were numb, making me stumble and fall back on the couch. 

"Careful," said Elisha, helping me sit up properly. 

My eyes travelled around the cafe, and I felt my eyes welling up again. "I had planned every single detail with so much care. The design of the tables, the chairs, the matching vases, the kind of flowers, the color of the couches, the flooring."

A single sob escaped my lips. "In just a few months, this place has given me so many memories, so much respect. I had so many dreams, so many more ideas to implement. This cafe and I still had such a long way to go."

I wiped away my tears. "If this is gone, I will fade away."

Elisha took in a sharp breath. 

"I know this sounds terrible," she said, "But what if we don't have to shut down the cafe or sell it? I mean, we could propose that Ira and Sierra be co-owners of the cafe and divide the profits from it equally." 

I wished that was possible. But the whole point of Sierra doing all this was to take away this cafe from me. Completely. 

She wanted me to lose the one thing that I cherished so deeply and was proud of. She had no interest in either the money or the cafe. She did not want any of it, she only wanted it to be taken away from me. 

"Not possible," said Stefan, "Unless the other party is interested in co-owning the establishment and running it, we cannot propose that solution. And Sierra is definitely not interested. I heard her say that she wants the money or the property share. If the cafe somehow escapes being sold and she gets the property share instead of the money, then again she has a right to demand closure of the cafe or even a possible demolition. The court will be in her favor in this regard because it will believe that Sierra had been at a disadvantage all these months while Ira was earning from the cafe." 

And Sierra is perfectly capable of demanding that. 

Silence descended all around us. Time was running out and we were helpless. 

"Ira," said Stefan, breaking the silence. He had been relatively quiet and in the sidelines throughout the day.

I glanced up at him. 

"I'm sorry," he said. "I am extremely sorry."

I swallowed and did not say anything. None of this was his fault. 

"I swear that I had no idea about any of this. I found out myself when Uncle called up Dad this morning and shouted at him." He sighed. "I know that this is hard to believe but please do believe me."

"I do," I said. "It's not your fault, Stefan."

He gritted his teeth. "But I should have known. I live in the same house as them and yet they kept me in the dark so easily. I am such a fool. How did I never find out what was going on and what they were planning? How could I be so ignorant? I could have warned you well in advance. I could have stopped them. I could have—"

"Stefan, I know everything. I can never blame you. Don't blame yourself, it's not your fault," I said. 

"I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry." He shook his head. 

I glanced at Zuri who was sitting at the nearest table. 

"Thank you for staying back, Zuri." I gave her a half smile. "It's really late now. You should go home." 

"I will," she said with an encouraging smile. "Once you leave, I will go as well." 

I nodded. "I don't have the courage to close the cafe. Could you please lock up for me today?" 

"Of course." She stood up. "And, Ira, I don't care what logic says but I know in my heart that Coffee Tales will never close down. This place has given comfort and hope to hundreds of people and such a place will always be protected by their prayers."

"I hope you're right," I said, licking my lips, "I desperately hope that you're right."