Cafe Noir Choices

"Nova, please." Macon's voice was pleading. "You know I can't do this without your help."

Nova sighed, then looked up from the table she was wiping down. Macon was standing in front of the counter, his hands clasped in front of him. He was already dressed in a suit and tie, except for his topcoat, which was on the back of one of the chairs at a nearby table.

"Macon, I told you, you don't need me. I'm sure you'll be fine." Nova wiped the table down a little harder than necessary. The wood was still wet, and she knew it would leave streaks. But she didn't care.

"Nova, please," Macon said again. "I've been trying to find someone to take over for me since I bought this place four years ago. No one wants to take it on, and now I'm running out of time. Do you know how difficult it is to find someone willing to run a small business? And it's not like I even want to sell it! But if I don't find someone, I'm going to have to move away, and..."

Nova sighed again and rubbed her forehead.

"You're going to have to move away anyway, Macon. You're graduating from college in a few months, remember?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I want to move to another country just because some dumb bank wants to cash in on my hard work! I've put too much into this place!"

At first, Nova had thought that Macon was exaggerating. He'd started the business as an amateur, but he'd grown into it. It was now a popular spot in town. Everyone seemed to love it. Macon's coffee was fresh and perfect, and the atmosphere of the store itself was warm and inviting. Nova couldn't imagine any other owner running the place well.

But Macon had explained that the company that held the mortgage on the shop was tired of waiting for him to pay off the loan, and they were threatening to foreclose. They insisted that he hire someone else to run the place.

"I'm sure they wouldn't be so eager to sell it if it wasn't for the fact that no one seems to want it," Nova had replied. "They probably don't care who buys it as long as they get their money."

Macon had given her a sad smile. "That's why I'm asking you, Nova. You've been here from the beginning. You're my friend. I know you won't let me down."

Nova sighed again and rubbed her forehead. "Fine, I'll do it for you, but only until you find someone else. I can't be doing this forever. I've got my own schoolwork to worry about. And what about all your regulars? What do you think they're going to say when they find out that I'm running this place now?"

"I don't know, and I don't care," Macon said. "We can worry about that once you're settled in, okay? In the meantime, I really need your help. There's no telling how long it's going to take me to find someone else. I'm supposed to meet this banker guy in an hour and a half. He's not going to buy it, though. I know he isn't. And I know you can do this. I believe in you."

Nova scowled. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Macon continued.

"Please, Nova. I'm asking you as a friend. You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

Nova sighed for the third time, then shook her head. "All right, Macon. I'll do it. But only until you find someone else."

Macon smiled broadly and rushed over to wrap her in a tight hug. Then he released her and hurriedly put his coat on. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you agreed! I'll do everything I can to find someone else right away!"

"Yeah, yeah," Nova said and waved him off. "Go. You're going to be late."

"Don't worry about me. Just do your best to keep everyone happy. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Macon hurried out the door. Nova watched him go with a grimace on her face. She waited for the door to close behind him, then glanced around the shop. There were a few customers in the shop, but they were paying more attention to their phones than to Nova. She sighed again, then went to the back room to gather some supplies.

* * * *

After the lunch rush, Nova was putting away some dishes when Macon walked in. He was carrying a large brown envelope and had a big smile on his face. Nova's eyes widened in surprise. She had never seen Macon that happy before.

"You did it!" Macon exclaimed. "It's done! The sale is finalized, and you're the proud owner of Caf Noir!"

Nova stared at him for several seconds after he finished speaking. Then she burst into laughter.

"Ha! You finally found someone, didn't you? Congratulations, Macon. I'm sure you'll make a great boss."

Macon's smile disappeared. He looked down at the floor and shifted uncomfortably. "Yes... I guess I did, Nova. But the funny thing is, it wasn't a person I found. It was..."

"What?" Nova asked impatiently.

Macon pulled the large envelope out of his coat pocket. He opened it and pulled out a stack of papers. He found the one he was looking for and handed it to Nova.

Nova took the paper, then her eyes widened again when she recognized the seal at the top of the page. She looked up at Macon, then back down at the paper in her hand.

"It's a contract," Macon said. "I signed a contract to sell Caf Noir to Caf Noir itself."

Nova looked up at Macon again, then back down at the contract. She read it word for word. When she reached the end, her eyes widened yet again, and she looked up at Macon. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

"This is for real?" she asked.

"Yes," Macon said with a nod. "Caf Noir asked me to sell him, and I agreed. Of course, I assumed it would be someone else taking over, but I guess..."

Nova couldn't hear the rest of what Macon said. She was still staring at the paper in her hands.

"Wait a second... Are you saying that this place... This store... Is alive?"

"Well, I mean, I guess it is, yes," Macon said. "Kind of. I guess it has a soul or something. That's what the contract says, anyway. Look, the contract says that I'm giving control of the store over to Caf Noir, and that Caf Noir is moving into the body of Caf Noir."

Nova continued to stare at the contract for a few more seconds, then shook her head. "This is crazy. How can a store own itself? It doesn't make sense."

"I know, I know, I know, it doesn't make sense," Macon said. He was starting to sound just as impatient as Nova. "But that's what the contract says. And this place is alive. I don't know how I know it, but I just know it. You should have seen the way it talked to me. It was like... Well, it was like a person. It was kind of creepy, actually."

Nova was silent for a moment. Then she looked up at Macon. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Macon said. "I guess we'll have to find out what it wants."

"I don't suppose it wants a job?"

"Oh, I don't know," Macon said. "It might. We'll have to wait and see."

"I suppose there's no point in me staying, is there? I mean, if the store's already taken over, that means I don't have to work here anymore."

Macon blinked and looked at her in surprise. "Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, you don't have to work here anymore. I'll figure something out, Nova. Don't worry about it."

Nova shrugged. "Well, I've got my schoolwork to worry about, so it's probably better this way. In any case, congratulations on the sale. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, I'll see you around too. Thanks, Nova. Really."

Nova nodded. She gathered her things, then