An Old Baker

Penelope couldn’t dream of a better life. Apparently, she had everything she needed to be happy. She was young and healthy, she had a prosperous family and a job, she lived by the sea, she had a group of brilliant friends and, what was maybe the most important for her at that moment, she had a boyfriend whom she expected to propose to her in no time. Days were mostly sunny in the summer and on many afternoons or evenings, after they had finished their daily grind, they went to the seashore, to one of the nearby parks or to another place that would please them to spend time in, talking, playing, walking, or, as it was precisely her and Paul’s favourite hobby, riding horses.

They were just coming back from their typical weekend ride along the sea, walking the horses back to the stable, and the sun was shining down on the sparkling water.

“The sea is particularly calm and shiny today,” noticed Paul, turning his gaze from the spectacle to Penelope.

“It’s beautiful,” Penelope admitted.

“It looks as if it could never get stormy again.”

They were at the beach at this hour quite often, but the water surface was rarely seen so calm. They exchanged smiles and walked towards the town. The shops were still open and Penelope thought she would like to buy some bread in her favourite bakery. It was a small and inconspicuous bakery hidden between a third rate craft shop and a residential entrance. The building itself was old and not very well maintained and the entire street was narrow and often dark, closed by tall buildings on both sides. It was one of the poorest areas in the town, although it was located very close to the centre.

“Where are you going?” asked Paul, seeing Penelope turning from their usual track.

“To the bakery,” replied she, almost as surprised as him. “I want to buy some bread.”

“To the ‘Menger’s’? You go there every day. Why do you like this bakery so much?”

Penelope didn’t answer. She was not only fed up with hearing that question almost every day as well, but she actually couldn’t answer it. She didn’t know why she liked that old, inconspicuous bakery so much. They had good bread, but she could certainly get not a less tasty one in other shops. And it was not even close to her house. Going up from the seashore, it was not far from the way they took to their neighbourhood, and Paul exaggerated saying she went there every day, but she couldn’t deny she paid regular visits and she couldn’t tell what attracted her to that place.

“Good afternoon,” she said, walking in.

“Good afternoon,” a hoarse voice replied and the baker emerged from behind a back door. There were few clients coming in, especially at this hour, so there was no need to stay behind the counter all the time. Mr Albert Menger seemed to Penelope particularly old, tired and sick that day. He was old enough to retire, but he didn’t. He always said he needed to keep his business just to get by. He was a widower and the business wasn’t profitable enough to guarantee a sufficient pension for him. He’d been also limping since she remembered, though he’d never used crutches. In the end, he needed two free hands to manage the business.

“How are you, Ms Penelope?” asked the baker, smiling at her.

“Good, and you? You look tired.”

“Do I really?” the man scratched his head as if thinking what to say. “Well, the end of the week. Six days of work is enough.”

She bought a small loaf of cereal bread and some cakes. Paul was standing behind her and they went out together, wishing Mr Albert a good rest. It was like that almost every Saturday. On working days, she usually went to the bakery in the morning, depending on what time her apprenticeship started. Then, Paul would pick her up from work or they would meet up in the evening, most days, talking about what had happened and how they felt.

Paul worked in a construction company and was pretty busy, but he always found time to see Penelope. At some point, however, the company started experiencing major problems and although Paul stayed at the office or in the field all day, trying to save the business, he couldn’t make it. The company went in the red and it was not big enough to expect extra funding from the State. Paul had to face the hard truth and began looking for a new job frenetically. Penelope suggested shyly work in Mr Albert’s bakery, but he ridiculed the idea, saying that it was a business which wouldn’t give them any prospects. She tried to comfort herself that by saying “them,” not just “him,” he showed he was constantly caring about their idea of shared, although still vague future, but personally, she thought that taking into account their wealthy backgrounds and Paul’s enterprise, it wouldn’t be a silly idea at all and that the business could be converted into something bigger and pretty successful. Seeing his reluctance, however, she didn’t insist, but she worried a bit. Paul didn’t talk to her as frequently and openly as usual those days and finally, one day, he announced he had lost a certain amount of money in a gambling game and then, after a week, he said he had found a new job, which turned out to be basically a looting business.

“It’s not a looting business,” he insisted at the beginning. “We do give those people something in return, we just make a good use of what they have no idea about.”

He referred to gold that was abundant in some islands relatively not far from their land and which was taken and sold by the company. The problem was that they made inhabitants of the islands work for them almost for free and even Paul couldn’t deny that it was an illegal enterprise, no matter how hard he tried to present it in a favourable light.

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” he argued. “Look how much I was able to earn in merely a week!”

The results were actually impressive, but as the business was getting more and more criminal and Penelope didn’t show any support to it, their relationship was getting more and more tense. Finally, one day, after they hadn’t talked for almost a week, as Paul had been working “in the field,” he announced he had found a potential partner and gave her an ultimatum: if she kept refusing to support his business, he would break up with her. So Penelope was left alone, after almost a year of her relationship with Paul, and although she’d been suspecting this unfortunate ending for some time, it was still a blow.

Besides, it was a time of change for her not only because of the breakup. Her apprenticeship in the public office was coming to an end and it was still not clear if they would take her on, as it was not a rule and she had heard there were currently just enough officers employed. She considered looking for a job in another office, but then she remembered again the old Menger’s bakery. Wasn’t it a good moment to give it a try? She liked baking fairly and although it was certainly not the job of her dreams, she had just seen that dreams come and go away before she could say Jack Robinson (and even if their relationship still felt like lasting ever since, it was only more painful), and she decided to look at her life from a more realistic (or maybe rather just more detached) point of view. Mr Menger had always been looking for an extra worker and she didn’t have any other offer at that moment. In theory, she didn’t even need to work at all, as her family was rich enough to guarantee a comfortable life for her no matter if she worked or not, but she knew she wouldn’t be happy living an idle and disorganised life. She liked being useful and it was precisely such an opportunity. Old Albert was not doing any better and if he didn’t find a worker soon, his business would be at a high risk of crashing.

Most of her family members and her friends were surprised at her decision, but she didn’t have anything else to tell them apart from the fact that she did what she felt was right. As for Albert Menger himself, he was so happy that he got sick for a few days and Penelope had to manage the bakery on her own. She served all the customers easily though, as they were, as usual, not many. She also came up with a few solutions on how to make the shop more attractive and refresh its image which she carried out with a little help from the business owner and which turned out to be pretty successful. She was getting more and more confident. Some days, however, she was feeling quite depressed, looking back at her former life with Paul. She had been convinced they were a perfect couple and Paul followed her virtually everywhere, taking care of everything, planning things with her and discussing their problems. She missed their long walks and rides terribly. She missed him coming over and celebrating holidays with his family, all together. She had other friends too, but he was the closest one, without a doubt.

One day, walking around the harbour, she saw a big luxurious ship. As it was probably the most luxurious one in sight and she didn’t remember having seen it before, she got closer and gasped when she saw her former boyfriend walking out of it. He seemed to be a captain or an owner, wearing a uniform and a cap. He was talking with two other men, but he noticed her and she stayed, unable and undecided to walk away. After all, she was curious about how his life was going. They’d lost contact for months.

“How are you?” he asked her, after the men had walked away, looking at her almost suspiciously.

“What a surprise to see you,” Penelope started. “How is your business going?”

“You shouldn’t be surprised to see me here. My business is going great. As you can see, I can afford the newest models of sea vessels. And I’m with my couple, we’re taking a cruise almost every day. And if you want to know, I nearly don’t ride horses anymore. She doesn’t like it and I don’t find time for an extra hobby. But the business is much more efficient to keep us happy… What about you?”

“Well,” she hesitated for a moment. “I’m working in Menger’s bakery now.”

“You’re not kidding, right?” he asked in reply. “Well, if it makes you happy…”

He shrugged and pointed at the ship.

“You could be here. But you didn’t want to. Your choice.”

He was about to turn around, when she asked:

“Are you still telling people to dig out gold for you?”

“What do you mean? We have a contract. You know how it works.”

She wanted to go on, but she decided it wasn’t worth it. She knew how it worked and he knew it too.

“If this is what makes you happy…” she said hopelessly, feeling that her eyes were filling with tears and seeing Paul shaking his head unbelievably and walking away. She could still hardly get over the fact that he’d left her after all they’d shared. He’d left her for a looting business. Most of all, however, she was just sorry for him. She remembered all the times they shared their views and agreed that they just needed other people to be happy, not gold and wealth. Moreover, she remembered all the times he’d stayed with her rather than going away, waiting for her to do the shopping in the bakery, carrying her shopping bags, going with her to another beach that she liked more and staying with her when she was feeling sick. Was it all worth nothing? She didn’t believe he was truly happy with his life now and she tried not to lose hope, but she couldn’t just wait for him to change idly.

The next day, however, she felt completely different. It was always like that. One moment she felt devastated, and the next, fully optimistic. But this time, it felt like she’d made progress. She wasn’t sad anymore and she wasn’t waiting for anything to happen. She was just feeling joy, looking at the smiling baker and excited people, picking another loaf of new bread model prepared according to her own recipe. She understood that happiness was much simpler than she had thought and she didn’t need that much to be happy.

After a few more months, Mr Albert got seriously ill. He lay in bed all day, looked after by a nurse.

“I’m so sorry,” she said repeatedly, coming into his room, looking at him hopelessly and giving him a short account of their business after a while. She couldn’t stand the feeling of hopelessness in that situation.

“Don’t be sorry,” Mr Albert said. “I’ve done my job and it’s time to go on. Don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself.”

Penelope stayed silent.

“I have a request for you,” he finally continued. “I dare ask you for it, because I know you can do it. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think you can.”

She waited, now curious.

“I have a sister who will inherit the bakery if my son doesn’t return. I could make you the only heir, but my sister got into trouble lately and this business could help her. I might be asking too much, but if you come to an agreement, I’d be happy.”

“It’s no problem,” Penelope replied, surprised. “It’s good news. I’d need to find a coworker anyway as the business has grown.”

“I know, but it can be hard. You will see. You’ll do what you can. Thank you.”

“Do you think your son will ever come back?”

She’d heard about Mr Albert’s son many times. He had gone abroad to college after his mum’s death and had stayed there ever since. The baker mentioned he was fond of horses, although the baker himself had nothing to do with riding. He was remembering his family’s walks along the beach every Sunday and all the activities they shared, and he said he was still in touch with him and his family, but, of course, they had their own life now and it was the most important. Penelope was a bit surprised that his son hadn’t come back to help his father for over thirty years and even now, when he was dying.

“He might…” said the baker finally and closed his eyes.

Merely two days after Albert Menger’s death, she was contacted by a lady who claimed to be his sister. Ms Zelda was younger than her brother but still about thirty years older than Penelope. She started the conversation by accusing Penelope of affecting his brother negatively and leading him to death, as soon as she had identified her.

“What are you doing in our bakery, actually?” she asked, outraged. “It’s a family business. It’s always been a family business. I had my own business, pretty recently I still had it, so I didn’t interfere, but now I’ve lost it and the bakery should be mine.”

“Mr Albert has made you a coheir.”

“Yes, a coheir, not an owner. It’s ridiculous! His son’s family has lived in Australia ever since I remember and I’m his only relative who is always staying close faithfully.”

Penelope tried to explain that she’d been working in the bakery for almost a year now, unlike Ms Zelda, and this is why Mr Albert had pointed her, Penelope, as first in his will, but as Ms Zelda kept badgering her, she gave up and went to the office to officially transfer the ownership to Ms Zelda. Penelope didn’t care about the job anyway. She got used and attached to it in a way, but her primary motivation had always been Mr Albert, now gone. However, Ms Zelda wanted to keep her almost immediately.

“You’re staying, right?” she asked, as if making sure. “You know that I have no idea about this business and I need help. You’re putting me in the middle of a mess you’ve made and you’re expecting me to manage it alone?”

Penelope didn’t like the way Ms Zelda talked to her, but soon she discovered she had the same way of talking to everyone, so she didn’t care. She stayed then, guiding Ms Zelda through her business procedures, while Ms Zelda was looking for a substitute employee. She claimed Penelope wasn’t good enough for her and she wanted to work with someone from among her friends or relatives, but as she didn’t find anyone, she finally accepted Penelope “permanently.” Penelope wasn’t as eager to stay as with Mr Albert, but she knew she had told Mr Albert she’d try to fulfil his wish and his wish was to let his sister work in the bakery. And even if she hadn’t told him so, she’d try to do it. She was still needed and she felt it was the right thing to do at the moment, no matter what her family members thought.

Ms Zelda surprised her every day. Some days, she had come to the bakery early and accused Penelope of coming late, although Penelope came right on time. Sometimes she even claimed she’d already served some demanding customers, which made Penelope suspicious. Other days, she came late and claimed Penelope was there early to confuse her. She saw mistakes everywhere when Penelope did accounting or managed baking or advertising plans and she made mistakes everywhere when it was her turn to do so.

Sometimes she was quite unpleasant with the customers themselves, which worried Penelope the most. Zelma required them to say each product’s name very clearly and precisely, while not all labels were even visible. Once she was telling off a little girl for calling a roll a cake when Penelope came in, ripped from a minor accounting job, attracted by the screams. The girl was just heading back towards the entrance door with her head down and certainly with a resolution to tell everything to her parents and not come back to Menger’s ever again.

Penelope regularly considered abandoning the business, but every time she had almost made up her mind, she remembered Mr Albert’s words and she gave it up. The only thing she had managed to achieve was talking Ms Zelda over to publish a job offer for her replacement, but weeks were passing by and somehow they hadn’t found anyone. Penelope was wondering if the reason for it was Ms Zelda’s attitude towards the candidates. If she behaved the same with her interviewees as with the customers, Penelope wouldn’t be surprised that it deterred all effectively. She just didn’t understand what Ms Zelda was looking for and she was afraid that Ms Zelda didn’t know it herself. She was guessing she wouldn’t stay in the bakery with her forever anyway, but at some point she’d realised it was actually more rewarding than she’d thought in the beginning. She didn’t see smiling faces every day anymore and she had an impression that the few customers who kept coming were always in the rush, trying to find their way back outside as fast as possible, but she knew she was fulfilling her duty and giving her time and effort not only to Ms Zelda and the customers, but also to Mr Albert, and she believed strongly that it’d never disappear from their minds and, in spite of everything, it would never be forgotten.

It had been almost half a year since she began working for Ms Zelda when she heard the news.

“You will never believe it, Penelope, but they’re coming,” Ms Zelda announced ostentatiously with a loud voice when she came into the kitchen.

“Who’s coming?”

“They,” Ms Zelda replied emphatically and nevertheless mysteriously. “Albert’s family.”

Penelope stood still, staring at her.

“Are you serious?” she asked finally.

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“Well… How did you find it out?”

“They called me, of course,” Ms Zelda replied impatiently. “Do you think I’m a fortune-teller or something of this kind?

Penelope knew it was no use reacting to Ms Zelda’s multiple rhetorical questions, but following her strategy of sticking strictly to the point, she managed to learn when the guests could be expected to arrive and soon they were standing at the bakery all together.

“So this person is no longer needed here,” began Ms Zelda abruptly, pointing at Penelope after they barely had time to introduce each other’s names.

Mr Albert’s son, Mr Richard, together with his wife, could be in their forties or fifties, and their son, Luis, was a well-educated man who looked not much older than Penelope herself. The three of them were looking at Penelope with curiosity.

“Zelda, slow down, please,” requested Mr Richard.

“Are you going to tell me what to do? I ought to remind you that I’m your aunt and you had left us here ungratefully thirty-one years ago, not caring even about your own father’s illness!”

Mr Richard wanted to say something, but he didn’t have a chance.

“I had lived in extreme poverty almost all my life!” Ms Zelda shouted. “Do you know what poverty is…? And now, when I’ve finally got something to scrape for a living, I’ve had to put up with this messy person for over six months!”

“I think,” Mr Richard said finally, “that we have to listen to all parties before drawing any conclusions.”

The man looked at Penelope and asked her how she started working for Mr Albert, and then, why she kept working for Ms Zelda. Penelope gave them a full account of her recent career, trying to avoid looking at Ms Zelda who was staring at her with a stern look as if she was being betrayed. Mr Richard’s wife and Luis, in turn, were looking at her reassuringly and nodded their heads from time to time. After she had told everything, she finally learnt that Mr Richard with his wife actually wanted to take the bakery over, as long as everyone agreed, but in order to put it under their own brand. Mr Richard’s family had his own bakery chain in Australia and as it was very successful, they decided to extend it to other countries. Now, however, it was their son who would run the management and open new venues, while they would focus on just one unit—the old Menger’s.

Ms Zelda, as usual, was not satisfied with the idea and saw many obstacles and injustices, but this time she was confident she didn’t want to keep Penelope anymore. Penelope shrugged and was about to leave, wishing them all success in this new undertaking, but suddenly Luis blocked her way.

“Wait,” he said quickly. “I’m looking for new workers. Would you be interested to stay? I guess you must be pretty experienced after going through it all.”

Penelope stood stunned and replied as soon as she regained her voice.

“Sure! I’d love to give it a try! In fact, I’ve got pretty used to working in the baking business.”

Luis began an interview and she didn’t even notice when they started talking like a pair of good friends rather than a boss and a potential employee. He had some very clear rules and a clear strategy, but he also appreciated Penelope’s experience and ideas a lot. In the end, she wasn’t surprised when he offered her the first assistant’s job. They started working together almost immediately and Penelope couldn’t get over her happiness. In the end, she got something she hadn’t expected at all. She worked in the same business now, but building something new and more exciting, she didn’t have to deal with Ms Zelda’s nasty comments anymore and, above all, she had found a new friend. She had a very good contact with Luis and they turned out to share much more than the business and a passion for horse riding he inherited from his dad. Luis’s parents, at least at the moment, felt confident about running Ms Zelda’s struggling shop and somehow they didn’t let her walk over them. After a few months, Penelope was still feeling a bit uncomfortable with unfavourable thoughts she had about Luis and his parents before meeting them.

“Actually, why didn’t you come here before?” she asked at some point. “I mean, why didn’t your family at least visit your granddad during all those years once your dad had emigrated?”

“Well, we tried,” replied Luis with a pensive voice. “I must have forgotten to mention it to you. We have tried several times, but problems always came up, either economical or of another sort. And my granddad always wrote to us that we should think about our own life and business and not to worry about him. And, actually, we didn’t have much to spare for most of our lives. It was only in recent years when our business grew so well. And it had been a long way. And then, suddenly, one day we received a call from Zelda telling us that granddad Albert was dead. We hadn’t expected it at all. He had only mentioned something vaguely about not being in shape lately.”

Penelope couldn’t help smiling discreetly, remembering Albert’s way of speaking.

“And as for me, I hadn’t even had an opportunity to meet him,” the man continued. “He was like a legend to me—he and my grandma, who had died long before I was born. I didn’t have any attachment to them and although I was curious to meet them as a child, listening to my dad’s stories, I had almost forgotten him by my teen years. We didn’t have much hope about seeing him ever again.”

After a moment of silence, Penelope felt compelled to confess that she had taken on a little of Zelda’s thinking, assuming their rather careless attitude towards their own family, but now it had disappeared completely. She had also realised that Luis was exactly the person who could replace Paul in her life.