My Anon Employer- 142 Café
An Informal Job Interview.
“Juana Quinn, I want to offer you a job.”
“eh? Why me?”
“Why not?”
“People call me Jannah. I’m 24. I live in a shelter for the homeless, a government project. I didn’t finish my studies. Father wants me to be a dentist. Mother is kind enough to let me choose whatever course I want. But she wants me to be at the top of the corporate world which is great. But I messed up in there. I am not made for that.
It broke my father’s heart the night I resigned and decided to stay out to find my way. Mother cut off all the support for me to come back and have some sense.
Income? Used up the last of my savings to put up a small coffee street bar beside the nearest school here in the shelter. The only thing I can do is to serve coffee for Dad every morning and a toast. So I started with a single menu package.
A coffee in a toast.
Where a coffee cup is placed at the center of a toasted bread. What kind of coffee? This, this is a top secret. The only thing special thing about the coffee recipe? Father taught me.
See? I am a mess. I am thankful for the chance but I think I’ll mess up.”
“You’re hired.”
“What?”
“You’ll start tomorrow.”
“What? I don’t have any proof of identification with me and I just. I don’t..”
“Come here tomorrow. Oh, and you’ll manage everything. From budgeting to finding the staff, to creating a menu. I’ll give you a month to submit a proposal. You can use the shop in the meantime. There is a room for one.”
“May I ask why me?”
“I want someone who can push through. It is the missing piece.”
“What? But I don’t know you. Can I see you, like properly?”
“You don’t have to know me. You’ll know why. Pay will be advanced so you don’t have to worry.”
“I don’t,”
“I know. I have to go. See you in a month, Jannah.”
Two years and counting. Going on three. Anon (Yes, I still don’t know his name) calls once in a while. 142 Café is now a team of 15. I am all proud of them. I’ll tell you about them next time!
Everything inside the Café is ours. This is just another coffee shop for most, but we know that this will be a big part of our story. Stories will happen inside, it will be a part of the people who will come here, people who will meet here- accidentally, intentionally, or not, people will fall in love, fall apart, and build again. People will. And just in case, we want to create a beautiful space for all of it to happen.
I once asked Anon why 142, and he laughed. I told him it was important for me to know why 142, but then again he laughed. It’s frustrating to have an employer who doesn’t answer simple questions, he makes me think.
Kyle who is now busy designing the photo wall art project for the month asks,
“Should be black and white? The photos? What do you think?”
“Yes. Better.”
Kyle is into photography, Anon approved of his suggestion to put customers’ photos on the Café walls. I asked him why,
“Photos make everything in it stronger. Memories and feelings. It makes everything harder to forget, and harder to dispose of. ” he said.
“Hey space head!” Kyle shouted. “I’m talking to you, what are you thinking?”
“Nahh.. I’m still thinking why it is 142. Can’t be ‘I love you’, doesn’t fit eh?”
“Knock it off space head. It is ‘I love us’, Jannah.”
“Hey! That’s great! Could use that!”
“Yeah. Could be great. Go ahead use it.”
I love us. — 142 Café
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