Starting Afresh
UPLIFTING SHORT STORY BY BETH MCKAY
Amelia had grounds for restlessness but she hoped that soon her cup would be running over…
Amelia glanced up from the coffee machine as a deluge of rain swept a fresh wave of customers into the busy queue. It snaked round the pillars and right back to the entrance.
The café windows were steaming up and brunch was merging into lunch. Amelia exchanged a weary look with Joe, her colleague.
He was shaking cocoa hearts on to the latest batch of cappuccinos and mochas. Coffee art was all very well, but not when they were rushed off their feet.
“Can you take those out now please, Joe!” Amelia instructed firmly. She grabbed the piece of paper with the next complex order: three cappuccinos, two decaffeinated, one with oat milk, no chocolate dusting and three glasses of water on the side. It was hard to hide her exasperation sometimes.
The fact was that Amelia had been working at the cathedral café for longer than she anticipated when she finished her degree last summer.
The barista job was meant to be a stopgap, but she was often too shattered for more than a cursory scan of the vacancies on her laptop after work.
“You need a fresh start,” her gran advised her. Amelia had called in with some groceries on her way home.
They both enjoyed each other’s company, drinking tea by the fire. A hug and a slice of her gran’s legendary chocolate cake often helped to put things back into perspective.
Amelia returned to her tiny flat feeling rested and determined. That evening, she fired off two more applications before she climbed gratefully into bed.
The swift reply from the travel firm was unexpected. It seemed that some of the Mediterranean countries had a winter season, and the company was keen to appoint.
After two successful interviews, Amelia found herself with just a couple of weeks to make up her mind about the post as a holiday rep. Her New Year’s resolution was to seize the day, and this was it, she decided: a new beginning.
Training followed with a frenzy of organisation. By the end of the month, Amelia was boarding a plane to Cyprus.
Trepidation began to set in during the flight. Amelia had never lived abroad before, and her parents had been more anxious than reassuring when they waved her off at the airport.
Her father hugged her goodbye.
Don’t forget, we’re only a flight away if you need to come home!
Her mother remained unnervingly quiet.
Amelia shook her head to erase the image of their worried faces and tried to concentrate instead on all the facts she had to memorise about Cyprus for her briefings to clients.
At Paphos Airport, she picked up an envelope with instructions for her car and apartment at the company desk. Amelia had to make her own way to the village in the Troodos Mountains where she would be organising walking and riding tours for the rest of the season.
As the airport doors slid open, Amelia felt her mood lift and her confidence return. The balmy air was fragrant with rosemary and the sky was azure blue. She jangled her keys cheerfully as she walked. Soon, she was steering her small hatchback confidently along the coast road and up into the hills. She felt ready for adventure now.
Luckily, people still drove on the left on the island, so Amelia was not too daunted by the steep, unfamiliar junctions, or the startling overtaking by locals who knew the roads well.
Her new apartment was modern and stylish, just metres from the hotel where she would be based. Amelia walked in and flung open the balcony door. The air was chillier at this altitude, but it smelled so clean and fresh.
She took a deep breath, admiring the dark forests and the dazzling sea beyond.
A unexpected but friendly voice called out from the next door balcony.
Hello! You must be the new rep?
Julia, her Scottish neighbour, was on her second season, and her local knowledge proved invaluable.
She nursed Amelia through the first few weeks of meeting and greeting new clients. Amelia’s own sense of humour and natural charisma helped her flourish and settle in.
As she and Julia sat beside the hotel pool on a rare morning off together, a waiter placed two cups and two slices of cake down in front of them.
“These are on the house!” he declared with a cheerful bow.
Amelia took a sip and sighed with pleasure. The strong Greek coffee was brewed to perfection – and she was on the right side of the counter at last.
