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Chapter 2: Mickey?  As in the Mouse? – April 1, 2020

The girl was an absolute disaster.  That was the conclusion Hobi had come to by the end of the day.  In addition to knocking over that woman’s coffee early this morning, Minsu had dropped a cookie on the floor, tripped over a chair, and sneezed in a customer’s face.  

Why was it that Hobi felt the need to rescue her each and every time?  Though, truthfully, he couldn’t do much about the sneeze.

But even as he was considering her accident-proneness, he glanced up just in time to see the entire tray of food that she was carrying towards table eight go flying into the lap of a very short, balding man.  Hobi nearly vaulted the counter in his haste to assist her this time.

He knew that coffee had to be burning the man.  But when he arrived at the scene, relief swamped him as he realized that he’d ordered an iced drink.  Thankfully.

Hobi bent to clean up the mess as Minsu apologized profusely and returned to the back to remake his order.

“Clumsy chit, isn’t she?” mumbled the customer.

Hobi finished wiping the floor at the man’s feet.

“She is, sir,” he glanced up at the man, “but she really is the sweetest of girls, so please be kind to her.”

Hobi hovered after Minsu returned with the customer’s order and watched the man leave without placing a tip on the table.  Hobi reached into his pocket and drew out five thousand won.  He placed it on the tray he was balancing before gathering up the man’s dishes and setting them on it.  He wandered back behind the counter.  As he walked by Minsu, her indefinable scent lingered in the air around her, as though it loved her presence too and was reluctant to be parted from her.  He stopped to inhale that pleasing fragrance.  

As she turned towards him, she gasped, “Thank you, Hobi, for helping me!  I wish I wasn’t so clumsy.  But it just seems to get worse as the day progresses.”

“You’re perfect, Minsu.  Don’t let it bother you.”

An odd spasm crossed her face.  Then she glanced down at the tray. 

“Oh!  Let me take that!  I should have cleaned that table myself.”

Hobi drew the tray away from her as he smiled down at her.  “You were busy helping a customer.  I’m happy to bus the tables.  But the tip is yours.”

Now he held the tray out towards her.  Her eyes grew wide.  “Surely, that man didn’t leave me five thousand won after I dumped his coffee and scone in his lap!”

Hobi shrugged.  “Wonders never cease, I guess.”

She glanced up at him.  “You keep it.  You did all the work.”  She turned away, so she missed seeing Hobi’s face fall.

“No, Minsu, it’s your tip.  Please take it.”

She heard an odd note in his voice.  She looked up at him again.  “Are you sure?”

He nodded.  “Completely.”  A sunny smile broke out on his face.

She beamed up at him.  “Hobi, you really are the sweetest guy.  Thank you.”  

Her praise flowed over him in a warm current of delight as she snagged the bill off the tray.  Hobi was whistling as he headed for the dishwasher.

—

At the end of their shift, they walked out of the building together.  Hobi turned towards her.

“It was nice meeting you today, Minsu.  And working with you.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded.  “Bye, Hobi.”

Then they both spun the same direction.

She glanced up at him.  “Wait.  You’re headed this way too?”

He nodded.  “My apartment is over there.”  He pointed in the direction of her own.

Her eyes lit up.  “Really?  Which building?”

“Channing Green.”

Her eyes widened.  “No way!  That’s the apartment complex across the street from mine!”

“You live in Honey Acres?”

She nodded.  “Wanna walk together?  Are you headed home?”

He bobbed his head.  “I need to take my dog for a walk.”

Her face lit up.  “You have a dog?  What kind?”

“Shih Tzu.”

“No way!” she echoed herself.

Hobi’s elastic face relaxed even more.  “What?”

“I have a Shih Tzu too.  Well, actually my parents do.  My apartment building doesn’t allow dogs,” she murmured mournfully.

Hobi frowned.  “I know.  I looked at an apartment there first, but when I discovered they had no tolerance for pets, I moved on.  Mickey was already with me then.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief.  “Your dog is named Mickey?”

He nodded.  But then he furrowed his brow as the look of astonishment continued to blanket her features.  

“What?”

“My dog is named Minnie.”

He blinked.

“You know?  Like Mickey and Minnie Mouse?”

Clearly, it was a sign.  He and Minsu were a match made in Heaven.  He suddenly grinned from ear to ear.

“I guess that settles it.  We were destined to meet,” he murmured fervently.

She giggled.  “I guess so.”

“Wanna go for a walk with me and Mickey?”

“Oh!  I can’t!  I have to go pick up my friend’s son from school and babysit him.  But I’ll see you at work tomorrow, okay?”  She waved at him as she crossed the street towards her apartment. 

Hobi sighed.  A little disappointed.  Then he turned towards home.  At least, he had Mickey’s company to look forward to.