Page 11 of Conquered
Noelle watched the interaction between the two and castigated herself for thinking the worst. Miranda appeared to have a natural empathy with children. The proof was Nikko digging happily into the bread and forgetting about breakfast at McDonald's.
Noelle joined her at the counter where Miranda was busy rubbing on the finishing touches of beeswax. Having done that, she gathered the mop and bucket and then headed out back. When she reappeared, Noelle had set up breakfast for both of them.
Miranda joined her, shyness still visible on her face.
“I didn’t know you knew how to bake,” Noelle broke the ice.
“I used to run a small bakery back home in Nigeria. When I arrived 10 months ago with my mother, we stayed with her boyfriend. I saw a poster that said a French chef was taking in students who wanted to learn to bake. I applied and got accepted. I never finished the course, but I learned a lot from Chef Luigi.”
“Chef Luigi? I interned with him too,” Noelle confessed with excitement.
There were two things she now knew. Miranda was Nigerian, which explained the accent. Her Ls and Hs were missing. So were her Fs, while the Rs rolled on her tongue. And she studied under Chef Luigi, one of Noelle’s icons in the food industry. In her eyes, he was a demi-god.
Noelle felt an instant kinship with the other girl. But she needed to know how she ended just outside her doorsteps.
Noelle’s heart broke for her. “Do you have a place to stay? You need time to recuperate before going out into the streets again.”
Miranda shook her head and replied, “I heard they give temporary shelter at the Y. I’ll go there after I leave here.”
For the second time in twenty-four hours, Noelle acted on impulse again – it was one of those light bulb moments. Miranda was good with her hands. The café smelled clean and looked well polished. All that, plus the fact she could bake. It all made sense. She would get more free time for her son.
“Or…you can stay here and help me with the café. We can fix the room at the back so it becomes your temporary quarters. When you’re back on your feet, you can look for a more permanent place to stay. I can pay you…”
Miranda looked thunderstruck. Noelle trailed off from her pitch of a job offer.
“You’re serious?” Miranda asked and broke into a wide grin.
Noelle nodded vigorously, grinning from ear to ear. She didn’t expect to be enfolded in a giant hug that squeezed the air out of her lungs. Nikko saw them hugging and laughing and talking at the same time, like turkeys at the zoo. He decided to join the party. The three were soon entangled in a group hug as laughter filled the air.
And just like that, a bond that could not be explained was formed.