Taliya rocked slowly in her chair on the front porch, sipping a frothy cup of hot chocolate, awestruck by the dazzling panoply of yellow, red, and orange hues that painted the evening sky like masterstrokes from an artist’s brush.
She never tired of these sunsets; they never failed to renew her feelings of hope and resolve, even after years of fruitless waiting. Waiting for a dream that might never come true, no matter how hard she worked and hoped for it.
Fireflies flickered on the lawn as dusk deepened, and colors melded into shades of pink, purple, blue, heralding the end of the day in a long line of disappointing days. The approaching darkness mirrored the sense of morose that invaded her thoughts, and she tried to push it away before it settled for good.
She took another sip of her beverage–now lukewarm–and reflected on that day five years ago when the seeds of hope were first planted in her heart. That day she dared to dream bigger than she ever had before. A most audacious dream of someday owning her very own bakery and sweet shop.
With years of experience at the local cafe kneading dough, baking bread, and crafting sweet pastries and confectionery delights, she imagined running her own shop. She saved every penny she could from her modest salary, but starting a business cost a lot of money, and she still didn’t have nearly enough. But she stayed positive and kept her dream alive, although it seemed less possible with every passing year.
Her co-workers sometimes ribbed her about her lofty ambition. “Taliya, you’ll be waiting until the cows come home to roost before you have your own place,” they teased. She supposed the joking was all in good fun, but it stung sometimes.
She would smile back at them and say something like, “hey weirdos, cows don’t come home to roost, chickens do.” Then she would add, “but someday, when the cows do come home to roost, that’s when I will have my own bakery. You wait and see.” They would laugh, and she would join in, because it did sound kind of ridiculous even to her own ears.
It was dark now, the only illumination coming from the porch light, a street lamp across the street, and the light pink glow in the west–the dissipated remnants of the vivacious sunset. Taliya sipped the last hot chocolate from her mug and slapped at a pesky mosquito buzzing near her ear.
She rose from her rocking chair, empty cup in hand, and turned to go inside the house when she heard a car driving up the tranquil street. She turned around and saw a black late-model luxury sedan pull up to the curb. A shadowy figure emerged from the driver’s side and walked up the sidewalk towards the porch, but Taliya couldn’t readily make out who was in the dark. As the shape got closer in the dim porch light, it resolved into focus.
“Mary!” Taliya cried, excited to see her college roommate from years ago. “Oh my gosh, girlfriend, what are you doing here?”
Mary reached the porch; they embraced for a good moment. “How long’s it been, a year, maybe two?” asked Taliya.
“It’s been a while, I guess,” Mary said. “I’m sorry. Time flies with my work and being a mom and all that. And it seems to fly faster every year.”
“Sure does,” agreed Taliya. “I’m so glad to see you! Come inside; it’s getting cold. I’ll make you something hot to drink, and we can talk.”
“I really can’t stay long,” said Mary, “but tea is fine, thanks.”
Taliya led Mary through the living room with its faded carpet and worn furniture to the kitchen and motioned Mary to the small table. While the tea kettle warmed, they caught up on the couple of years of their lives. As they steeped the tea-bags in their cups, Mary brought up why she had dropped by.
“I have good news for you. Really good news. You’re not going to believe it.”
“I’m ready for good news,” said Taliya. “Nothing much happens around here but work, sleep, eat, rinse, and repeat.”
“Remember the last time we went out to lunch?” Mary asked. “And you said you wanted to open a bakery someday, but it would take you years before you had saved enough, if ever? And I told you I wished I could help you?
“I remember,” answered Taliya. “I’m still waiting and still saving.”
“Consider your wait over,” said Mary.
“What?” Taliya stammered
“You won’t believe this, but I had a rich uncle who died recently. Seriously, a rich uncle. I met him only a couple of times when I was a little girl, and barely remember him. But he apparently remembered me, and willed me a chunk of money. Enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life, and then some. You just can’t make this stuff up,” she laughed.
“So here’s the good news: I want to give you an interest-free loan for half of the bakery you are going to open.”
“Half?” said Taliya. “Interest-free loan? I don’t understand.”
“The other half will be my share as your silent partner. You will run the business, bake the goods, hire and manage the employees, everything. I will stay behind the scenes as an investor, and you can buy me out once you get profitable. If you want to, although I would love to stay your business partner as long as you want me around.”
“So think about it and let me know in the next few weeks. There’s no rush.”
Unable to contain her excitement, Taliya shouted, “Deal! Nothing to think about. But why would you do this for me?”
“Well, we were college roommates and best friends,” said Mary. “And now we’re going to be business partners–and bakery owners.
“Okay, but…”
“But…” interrupted Mary, “more than that, I’m doing this to repay what you did for me when we were roomies. Do you remember?”
“I’m not sure,” Taliya answered.
“The day I broke up with Teddy. It was such a dark day, and I was so depressed. I didn’t want to live after that. I wanted to end it all. I had the razor blade and was about to use it.”
Taliya gasped. “Yes, I remember! You scared me nearly to death!”
Mary nodded solemnly. “You walked through the door, pried the razor blade from my hand, and talked me down from the edge. You said that no boy was worth dying for, especially a boy stupid enough to dump me. You said you believed in me, and I had a great future ahead of me. You said I would someday find a guy who would love me and accept me for who I am.”
“Then one day I did. Everything you said came true. I married the love of my life. I have two terrific children, a great career, and everything that comes with it. And now, lots of money, thanks to my uncle.”
Mary paused, her voice choked with emotion. She cleared her throat and continued, “I never told you how much you meant to me for being there at the right time to save my life. But I never forgot either. You are like the sister I never had. Better than a sister, I think. I love you, and I owe my life to you. I can never repay you, but I can make a down-payment by investing in you.
Taliya swiped at the moisture leaking from her eyes. “Thank you sister, I love you, too. Thanks for believing in me.”
The women shared a moment of silence as they contemplated their words. Taliya broke the silence: “I think ‘Taliya’s Tasty Treats’ is a good name. What do you think?”
“Ooh, that’s good…tastefully good,” Mary chuckled. “Who knows, maybe we’ll open a whole chain of Taliya’s Tasty Treats around the country. Maybe even worldwide.” She gave Taliya a wink. “You won’t believe how big a chunk of money my uncle left me.”
Mary rose from the table. “I’m sorry I have to go. Hubby is watching the kids, and I promised to be home in time for him to go out bowling with his buddies tonight. You know, I still don’t get the appeal of bowling,” she snickered. “I think baking bread and sweet treats would be a lot more fun…and tasty.”
“I agree,” said Taliya. “Much more fun.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow to go over the arrangements and start the paperwork and all that. Mary gazed at Taliya with steadfast eyes. I’m going to tell you what you told me once: I believe in you. I believe in us. And we are going to be great together!”
“I can’t thank you enough,” said Taliya. “I am so excited. This is one of the best days of my life.”
They hugged and reluctantly parted, with promises to talk tomorrow. Moments later, Mary’s car pulled away from the house and drove off into the night. Taliya felt a warm glow in her heart that reminded her of the radiant sunset from earlier that evening. But unlike the sunset, this glow felt more like a sunrise; a sunrise of hopes fulfilled and dreams coming true.
She smiled as she pondered her sudden change of fortune, so wonderful, unexpected, and perhaps undeserved. “Sometimes dreams really do come true,” she marveled. “And sometimes cows really do come home to roost.”
