Page 49 of The Incredible Kindness of Paper
Giovanni
There was always a line every morning now at the bakery.
Giovanni smiled as he brought a fresh batch of baguettes and pains au chocolat to the front window display, an artfully organized and overflowing cornucopia of buttery indulgence.
There were mounds of madeleines, domed platters full of hazelnut and crème fra?che meringues with lemon zest, slices of kouign-amann cake, and miniature galettes with whatever fruit had been ripest at the farmer’s market the previous day.
And that was just the French side. Giovanni also had an Italian display full of the childhood recipes he’d grown up with in his nonna’s small kitchen in New Jersey—rich, crunchy cannoli, flaky sfogliatelle stuffed with ricotta and candied citrus, sweet Roman brioche buns split in half and filled with whipped cream, and more.
One of his cashiers was ringing up a blond couple, who carried two of the biggest boxes the bakery offered.
Giovanni stopped by to thank them for coming in. “I’m so happy you found so much you like,” he said, smiling. “I’m Giovanni, by the way.”
“Pleased to meet the legend,” the man said with a Texan drawl. “I’m Duncan and this is my wife, Debbie. We’re visiting from Fort Worth, and Deb found your bakery on five different ‘must try’ lists.”
“I’m a foodie,” she said. “To me, the real point of a vacation is to eat.”
Giovanni was blushing. “I don’t know if I’m a legend. My shop’s only a few months old. But I’ve been really blessed by all the customers like you who are willing to take a chance on someone new.”
“Well, get used to it,” Duncan said. “When we get home, we’re telling all our friends that they have to come here next time they’re in the Big Apple.”
“Thank you,” Giovanni said, cheeks still burning.
“Oh, hey, before you go, please take a couple of these with you.” He plucked two yellow paper roses from the basket he kept by the register.
“There’s an inspirational note inside each one.
The artist behind them came into my life exactly when I needed her. Now I’m trying to spread the joy.”
Debbie opened her origami flower right away and let out a whoop as soon as she read it, making the people in line behind her jump.
“?‘Your purpose is to be a bright light. You have within you the power to refract happiness and share it with many,’?” she read.
She looked over at Duncan. “Baby, we were just talking about helping me find purpose in my life! And this is spot-on!” She started singing the opening lines of “The Yellow Rose of Texas.”
He nodded at Giovanni. “You said there was an artist who makes these paper flowers? You think she’d be willing to franchise?”
Giovanni grinned. “You won’t need Chloe’s permission. I guarantee she’d love it if you brought her message with you to Texas.”