"Hey, are you okay?" Casey asked Eric as they stepped out of Eric's car. They just arrived at Jexter Café. They were too early, thirty minutes early to the time stipulated by the sender.
"I'm just excited." Eric broke into a smile, which doesn't come overwhelmingly often, but still freely. "I thought I would still be waiting for the other shoe to drop when the bookshop finds the receipt. Anyway, should we enter or not yet?" Eric asked.
Although, Eric and Casey have been co-DJs in some of the events hosted by the radio station, they haven't talked much with each other. Eric feels as if he is inexperienced in the traditional use of the word whenever he is with Casey.
Eric glanced at the coffee shop and stopped. It was his first time to see such shop. Eric was fond of coffee yet since he arrived at Cincinnati, he was taking more beer than coffee due to the pull of Dexter. They go to Ally's almost twice a week.
Jexter Café was a small coffee shop compared to the tens of other coffee shops in Cincinnati. Yet, as they say bigger isn't necessarily better. It's a teeny local shop that offers a genuine roast coffee. It's no wonder that it had many loyal customers, mostly around the area and from different streets of Cincinnati. "This is quite a small shop," Eric noticed.
"Yeah. Didn't you know that Luther never missed a day without drinking one of their coffees? If I'm not mistaken, he lives nearby," Casey informed while her eyes were surveying the nearby houses.
"Is that right? Well, every man to his taste." Both laughed, knowing very well the poor taste of Luther in terms of food and clothing. They continued to walk towards the front door.
As Eric opened the front door, he and Casey observed the casual atmosphere of the place, which provided a nice haven from the bustling area of Mt. Lookout. The warm aroma of blended espresso coffee surrounded the place. In addition, the cool classic mixed with modern furnishings blended well with the overall design of the quaint place.
Eric and Casey were greeted by the slick coffee bar counter, which complimented the mixed classic and modern design of the shop. There were some pastries and cakes displayed within the bar counter which varied from chocolate to fruit flavor. Above the counter was the menu written in a chalk-like graphics. Included in the list were different espresso-based coffee like latte, mocha, and cappuccino. There were also some frappe and ice-cold coffees mixed either with chocolate, hazelnut, berries or yogurt.
The unique feature of the shop which Eric and Casey vividly noticed immediately was the left corner room separated by glass wall and door from the rest of the place. It looks like a small library with at least three large bookshelves filled with variety of books. Completing the room were tables and some relaxing chairs with great lighting for reading.
Right away when Eric and Casey saw the small room, an idea came to them. They stared at each other as if reading each other's mind. Is the owner of the book the same as the owner of the shop? As they approached the counter to ask for Mr. G. C., a ripple of excitement spread within them.
"Good evening Ma'am, Sir! I'm Sally. What can Jexter help you with?" the lady over the counter greeted them.
Eric and Casey looked at one another because of the unique way of greeting by lady and they were also trying to feel each other on who would ask the lady regarding the sender of the letter. "Ah… Do you know anyone here with the initial of G. C.?" Eric asked.
"Oh… Are you from WJRQ 103 radio station?"
"Yes…" Both Eric and Casey excitedly said.
"Okay. So may I now get your orders?"
Eric and Casey confusedly looked at each other. They don't know if they should stay longer. It's not that they don't have a budget for some drinks but they just want to know who the father is and that's it.
The lady read their reactions. She knew they were hesitant to order. "Don't worry! It's a complimentary gift from Mr. G. C.," she added.
"You should have said it earlier," Casey jokingly said.
Both took some minutes choosing the coffee and pastry that they like. Both ordered Frappe. Eric got Cinnamon Roll Frappe, a mixture of the classic dessert of cinnamon roll with a twist of vanilla cream while Casey asked for Captain Berry Frappe, a spin of strawberries with a delighting syrup of hazelnut and caramel. For their pastries and cakes, both got triple chocolate cake.
When they were done making orders, the lady asked them to wait for Mr. G. C. at the fantasy room. She also informed them that their orders would be delivered to them within minutes. The fantasy room was the glass room filled with variety of books that they saw upon entering the shop. It contains many books from classics like novel collection of Shakespeare to modern best-selling authors like Nicholas Sparks and John Green.
"Who do you think is this Mr. G. C.?" Casey asked as both sat on the chairs at the fantasy room. They were the only ones who were inside the room while the rest of the costumers were packed outside the room.
The fantasy room was actually with a reserved sign hanging on the glass door. Mr. G. C. made a reservation for the mini-library. It was for this moment so that he can talk with them in private since the topic is sensitive.
"I don't know. It's my first time to be here," Eric said.
One of the employees came in and served their orders. Casey, like other youngsters, took a picture of the coffee and cake so she could post it in her social networking accounts. Afterwards, she took some of the chocolate cake while Eric stirred his frappe to mix in with the cream.
When they were done with their cakes, they heard a voice. "Hello Mr. Eric and Ms. Casey!" A man came in and stood in front of them. When they tried to look at the features of the man, it was the same as what the old man, the bookshop owner described the one who gave them the book.
Casey was puzzled on how the man knew their names. They never told the lady at the counter or the server of their orders. The man shook their hands and sat on the chair opposite to them. "I'm Mr. G. C. as people call me here. Short for Mr. Geoffrey Caldwell," he added.
"May I ask, how did you know our names?" Casey curiously asked.
"Ah… Mr. Lu told me all about you guys."
Eric and Casey perplexedly looked at each other. "Mr. who?" Eric asked.
"Mr. Lu…" Mr. G. C. scratched his head. "What's the name again of Lu?" he whispered. He looked at Eric, "Ah… right… It's Mr. Luther Beasley. Isn't he your station manager?" he asked. Now things are getting complicated for Eric and Casey but they just nodded in response.
Luther and Mr. G. C. have been friends since Luther started going to the shop. This morning, Mr. G. C. asked about the DJs who read the letter and entertained the comments of the listeners last night. He asked Luther if he could speak with them and he happily consented. Moreover, Luther wanted to give a twist to their meeting so he asked Mr. G. C. to write a letter addressed to the station and he would make sure that Eric and Casey would be the one to meet him.
Mr. G. C. then explained to them what happened and had bundle of laugh afterwards. Eric and Casey too laughed at themselves silly for not suspecting such thing to happen. They knew that Luther would be laughing up his sleeves at the moment.
As they became comfortable with one another, Eric popped up a question, "Mr. G. C., if I may ask, did you write the letter on the back leaves of book?"
"No," he smoothly answered. "That is not the question, you should be asking," he added.
"Is it who wrote the letter?" Casey hesitantly asked.
"That's the question." Mr. G. C. looked at the bookshelves on the wall and pointed at the shelves. "The previous owner of those books is the one who wrote the letter," he informed.
Eric's heart started to beat faster and faster. From what he heard so far, this is a big catch. He knew that this was it. The man in front of him, Mr. G. C. is his missing link on unveiling the author of the letter. Immediately, Eric snapped his attention to Mr. G. C.'s following statement.
"Before we continue, may I excuse myself for a moment. I have to check something first. Just for a moment." Eric and nodded as Mr. G. C. stood up and went out of the room.
"It's getting exciting. I hope this is really it. Finally, I can unmask the author," Eric said.
"I know right." Casey stood up. "Ahhh… Call of nature. Just wait for him," she added as she went straight to the comfort room at the far right corner of the shop.
"Oh… Where's Ms. Pace?" Mr. G. C. asked as he joined Eric in the room.
"She went to the rest room," Eric explained as two waiters came in and placed two loaded plates and two glasses of refreshing fruit juice on the table. Eric couldn't speak. He was bewildered. They didn't order anything else except for the coffee and cakes that they already consumed. Maybe this was a mistake.
"Excuse me," Eric called the attention of the waiters who were about to leave. "We didn't order these," he added.
"It's okay. I did," Mr. G. C. explained and the waiters continued to leave the room. As Mr. G. C. was about to explain further, Casey entered the room and saw the treats on the table. She sat down and asked, "What did I miss here?" She stared at Eric who acted innocently.
Looking for an answer, both Eric and Casey looked at Mr. G. C. hoping he could explain everything to them. Mr. G. C. smiled, knowing that both of them were muddled up. "I would like you to try our soon to be pasta here in Jexter." He pointed at the pasta. "Help yourselves. I hope you would like them. As you know, it's better to listen while taking something to eat." He made a slight grin.
"Do you own this coffee shop?" Eric asked as both he and Casey took some of the pasta. Casey selected the spaghetti with tuna and basil while the Cajun chicken pasta went to Eric.
"Yes. I hope you like them," Mr. G. C. answered. It was obvious from the reaction of the two that the spaghetti and Cajun pasta were scrumptious. They showed thumbs up for approval like happy kids as they dug in some more. It was so delightful that they were eating high off the hog.
"Help yourselves as I explain everything to you." Mr. G. C. got his mug of coffee and sipped. "As I have said earlier, all the books here in this room came from the writer of the letter. I owned this place but more importantly, I'm also a lawyer by profession." What the old man at the bookshop said was correct again. His gut feeling told him that Mr. G. C. is a lawyer by his posture and looks. "Incidentally, I'm the lawyer of the person you are looking for. Unfortunately though… as you have read the letter, my client is dying," he added.
Eric was relieved knowing that the father is still alive. However, he wanted to make sure that he heard Mr. G. C. right. "So… are you saying that the father is still alive?" he asked.
"Yes. But he's weak now that is why I prepared everything for him and in his goodness, he gave me his collection of books with the instruction that these…" Mr. G. C. pointing at the books, which were at least more than a hundred displayed on the shelves. "…Should be displayed in my shop while some of the classic books should be distributed to different second hand bookshops. If you would ask me why, I don't know his reason. Of course, I wanted all the books to remain in the shop but I have to follow his instructions." He took another sip of his coffee.
"But did you know that one of the books contained a letter?" Casey asked.
"Yeah. I know. Actually, most of the classic books contained letters. All of which are addressed to his daughter."
Eric and Casey observed that Mr. G. C., lawyer as he is, is careful in selecting words to tell them. It was not the first time they met such kind of man. They had interviewed and encountered people like Mr. G. C. before. They knew what to do to break the ice.
"If we may ask, what is the name of the author?" Eric asked.
They only need the name. In their field of work, it's easy to have access to different information especially within Cincinnati. If ever he wouldn't tell them the name, they were hoping to at least get a clue from Mr. G. C. before they leave the shop.
"I'm sorry I'm not allowed to say it. Just ask the right questions that I would be allowed to answer." Mr. G. C. smiled like a Cheshire cat.
"Ah… How about… Was the father able to meet his daughter?" Casey randomly asked.
"I'm sorry," Mr. G. C. declined to answer.
Eric scratched his head thinking what should they be asking. He thought of a question. Well, there's no harm in trying. He asked, "Did the father know my public reading of his letter?"
"Yes. He was the one who told me to meet you." Mr. G. C. cracked a smile again.
Eric thought that fortune is starting to smile on him. Opportunity is already knocking at the door. He knew that he was on the right spot. He just has to follow it up and seize the moment. Since the father knew what happened last night, Eric wanted to cash in on an opportunity to talk with him. Promptly he asked, "Is it possible then for us to meet or even just talk with the father on the phone since we wanted…" Eric looked at Casey, "I wanted to apologize for publicly reading his letter?" Sure enough, Eric wanted to apologize for what he did. But, it was also his chance to interview the father about the letter directly. In silence, he prayed that Mr. G. C. would say yes.
They silently waited for an answer from Mr. G. C. who was thinking deeply if he would say yes or no. They knew they must have the patience of a saint. This is a critical moment of their search. They could either make it or break it.
Mr. G. C. wanted to wipe the smile off their faces. He wanted to say no to know their reaction. However, he looked at his watch and remembered that he has things to do. He was having fun and was entertained in getting to know Eric and Casey that he almost forgot about the time. He thought that it was enough playing a joke on them and making them the butt of the joke. It was time to be serious. He has to convey the message of his client.
"Okay. Let me tell you." Mr. G. C. straightened his posture. "My client asked me to check on you if you could meet him or not." With this Eric smiled. "I'm sorry. That is why, all this time, I was observing you," Mr. G. C. said.
"And… what do you think?" Casey excitedly asked.
" Hmmm… You're good people. I think he would love to meet you."
"YES!" Eric said in a loud voice and leaped for joy. "So when can we meet him?" he asked.
"Wait for a minute…" Mr. G. C. tried to calm them. "There's a catch," he added. They had expected that. All the events that they had hosted and all the negotiations that they had attended, there has always been a catch.
"What is it?" Eric asked.
"Only one of you could see and talk with him."
Eric and Casey looked at one another in the eye. In an instant, Casey said, "Eric would be one to talk with him since he was the one who bought the book and found the letter. Is that all right with you?"
"Fair enough." Mr. G. C. stared at Eric. "Could you meet me here tomorrow morning around ten o'clock?"
"Sure," Eric responded. Finally, the moment has come. Eric would be meeting the mysterious father. He is a happy camper. He is already imagining the moment he would see the face of the father. They bade farewell to Mr. G. C. as they have obtained their objective. Eric would even have a chance to meet him.
Time seems to be slowing down. Tomorrow is the day, a day that Eric couldn't wait any longer.