Mr. Albert's gaze carried a hint of distress, leaving all of us present rather worried. For a moment, we were at a loss for words. What started as an attempt to deceive him into believing that someone in the neighbouring tea shop had been possessed by a spirit had now spiralled into a situation where our own establishment was suspected of harbouring malevolent energy.
I nodded towards him, "Perhaps it's because of my religious practices?"
"Huh?" He scratched his head. "I don't get it."
"Oh! I'm actually a practitioner of both Buddhism and Taoism," I continued, eager to clarify. "In addition to venerating Buddha, I also worship various deities like Datuk Gong, Tua Pek Kong, Tai Sui, and the Kitchen God…"
Before he could interject, I quickly added, "You see, for someone who follows the Christian faith like yourself, the concept of multiple deities might seem like there's an aura of malevolence. However, for us, it's completely normal, with numerous gods to revere."
This time, Mr. Albert nodded in agreement. It seemed that some "divine storytelling" was essential when communicating with clergy.
Mok chimed in, taking the opportunity to clarify, "Malaysia is indeed a diverse and harmonious nation with so many religions. We need to respect each other's beliefs, and that's why our little bubble tea café stays peaceful."
Nevertheless, Mr. Albert looked around and began muttering to himself. Then, he turned around and left.
I immediately gave a triumphant thumbs-up to everyone. However, there was no response. Could it be that...
Mr. Albert had made a U-turn once more!
Curiously, he asked, "Why haven't I seen your altars? Where do you place your religious statues?"
Without hesitation, Boon responded, "Upstairs!"
This time, Mr. Albert nodded again, seemingly grasping the situation. He turned and left once more.
Seeing this, Boon cheered jubilantly. Yet, we refused to join in his jubilation because...
Mr. Albert had made yet another about-face!
Puzzled, he asked, "I've heard that Earth God altars are typically placed on the ground floor... You have it on the upper floor; does that not go against any customs?"
This man was really vexing! Why did he seem so knowledgeable? I wasn't even sure if such customs existed!
Quick to respond, Kyle said, "Many residents in apartments and flats place Earth God altars on their respective floors."
"Ah, I see," he seemed satisfied with the answer and turned to leave.
At that moment, none of us wanted to make any gestures or expressions; we just hoped he'd continue walking away. But why did he turn back around? Again!
Mr. Albert retraced his steps and raised his index finger as if wanting to say something but was unable to. After a few seconds, he gave up and finally walked briskly toward the neighboring "CHAGEE" café to locate the supposed "possessed person."
We all wiped our brows with a sigh of relief. Mok suddenly snapped his fingers, "Oh! I forgot to tell you, Desmond, there's someone upstairs waiting for a job interview."
"What? You're telling me now... She must have been waiting for a while," I exclaimed in a rush.
"It's fine, you probably won't want to hire her," Mok commented.
"Why are you so sure?" I inquired.
"Because she's just a weirdo," he explained.
"A 'weirdo' with an 'F'? Or..."
"Yes, a female 'weirdo,' let's call her a 'freako'!" he chuckled.
I brushed off his pun and headed upstairs, still hearing the TF BOYS asking Mok, "Is that what 'freako' means?"
Mok continued to mislead them: "Exactly! When someone says 'freako' it means a female weirdo who has been single since birth and has never been in a relationship!"
The second floor of the bubble tea café is off-limits to customers and serves as the employee area. It is divided into four sections.
These four sections are not separated by walls and are open. As you arrive on the second floor, looking to the upper left, which is by the windows facing the main road, is my manager's office area. It contains my desk and a bookshelf filled with folders.
In the lower-left part is the lounge area. There are several colorful pillow-style sofas. I can't remember their original shape. All the staff like to sit lazily on the sofas and read magazines from the nearby bookshelves. There's a small cabinet with a few board games. In their free time, they often gather here to play and have fun.
In the upper-right corner, next to the windows facing the back alley, is the bubble tea workshop. Here, we have pearl-making equipment, as well as some simple materials and containers used for training new employees. When the upper management introduces a new menu, we practice making the new drinks here. I also equipped it with a refrigerator and stove for staff convenience.
The lower-right part contains the dining table and personal storage lockers for all the staff. They can keep their personal belongings here while they work. During meal times, they use this dining table, which can accommodate up to 8 people.
The big boss' thoughtful setup is aimed at taking care of the psychological well-being of the staff, with the hope that they can relax and work wholeheartedly. Clearly, the effect has been quite positive, as nobody selfishly uses these facilities without putting in their share of work.
As I arrived on the second floor, I noticed a girl sitting in my office chair, with her back to me.
Short hair and petite. As I saw her from my viewpoint, her feet couldn't reach the ground.
Hearing my footsteps, she turned to look at me – and to my surprise, she was wearing sunglasses. "Hello! You must be the manager?" She had a round face with a cute little fang tooth and a pleasant voice.
I nodded and placed all the files I was holding on the desk before taking a seat. "Hello! You can call me Desmond."
She took off her sunglasses and carefully assessed me from head to toe. "Rainbow!"
Rainbow? What does that mean? I furrowed my brows and looked at her. "Huh?"
The girl laughed and repeated, "Rainbow!"
"What do you mean by 'rainbow'?"
"You are the rainbow!"
What… What does that mean?
Laughter came from the bubble tea workshop! I turned to look, and it was the early shift's Carson. He greeted me, "Hi, Rainbow Manager."
I cleared my throat twice!
Then I said to the girl, "I respect the 'rainbow'! But I'm not a 'rainbow'! I'm straight and like women."
*Rainbow: The slang term "rainbow," colloquially known as the rainbow flag, is used as a symbol for the LGBT community, standing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride.
The girl burst into laughter upon hearing my response, showing her teeth without showing her eyes, although adorable, it was slightly annoying. "What are you even talking about? You're so cute! A cute guy like you," a cute person, calling this 27-year-old a "cute gay." "You're the rainbow! You have the qualities and aura of a rainbow!"
I was left speechless by her words.
On the other hand, Carson was laughing his heart out! He retrieved the milk and wiped up the spilled milk with a cloth. Then he rushed downstairs, exclaiming, "Our rainbow manager is so cute!" He shamelessly spread the girl's words to the other staff, not considering the consequences or my feelings.
Carson was a university student waiting to transfer to a school in the UK for his studies. In the meantime, he worked here part-time. Many people considered him smart but somewhat lazy. He was one of the tallest guys among the staff at this bubble tea café, with an average appearance but a talent for careful calculation.
I took a deep breath, put on a serious look, and offered a polite trademark smile. "Let's not mention the rainbow for now. How about introducing yourself instead?" I pushed the employee application form in front of her, but she pulled it back and said, "I'd like to hear you speak, not to see what you write on paper."
"Sure, okay," she smiled. "My name is Joyee Soh, and I'm 19 years old. I enjoy reading and drawing in my free time. I especially like doodling on walls, although people scold me for it."
Hold on, is this girl mentally challenged? Who talks about these unrelated things during a job interview?
I interrupted her, "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Is this your first interview?"
She shook her head, "No."
"So, do you have any work experience?"
"I used to help my grandmother manage her store!" Her response reminded me of a classic Japanese mobile game about running a small grocery shop.
"If I'm not mistaken, that should have been many years ago, right?"
"Wow! How did you know?"
It seemed Mok was right.
This girl is indeed peculiar.
However, she looked entirely normal! Why did her communication seem as if she had the mentality of a 12-year-old? Maybe I've underestimated the intelligence of 12-year-olds.
I quickly reviewed her employment application, and her handwriting was all over the place. Date of birth: October 7, 2004, which she proudly noted as "S.W. '84."
"Miss Soh, may I ask what 'S.W. '84' means?" I inquired.
"Call me Joyee, that's fine! 'S.W. '84' is another way my village calculates the years. It's like the lunar calendar for Chinese, the Islamic calendar for Malays, or the liturgical calendar for Christians," she explained.
I looked at her place of birth: Malaysia.
No specific state or detailed address was listed.
I asked, "Can you show me your ID, please?"
"Of course!" She took out a long, pink wallet from her small backpack and attempted to retrieve her ID. However, it seemed the pocket was too tight, and she couldn't pull it out. She tugged and pulled but couldn't get it out. She blushed, and her fingers turned red.
I watched with my hands in my pockets and suggested, "Take it easy. Or you can try using your other hand?"
She followed my advice but still couldn't get it out. She even made some embarrassing grunting sounds and intentionally tore the pocket's edge. However, the ID was still stuck inside. After a moment, she gave up.
Joyee handed me the entire wallet. "I'm sorry; why don't you try to take a look?"
Her ID photo looked somewhat like her, and the address was Kelantan.
At this point, I chose to put the employment application aside as it lacked detailed information. "Why did you want to work here?" I asked.
"Because I love the bubble tea here!" She replied. "Your bubble tea is my favourite. Compared to other bubble tea café, I just love the taste here."
I chuckled, somewhat resigned. "My mom used to tell me, 'If you love eating doughnuts, don't work at a doughnut factory, because after seeing the process, you won't love it anymore.'"
She nodded and said, "Haha! I disagree with that."
She continued, "Some people love brewing coffee, savouring the beauty and flavour of coffee. They immerse themselves in it, take classes to learn more skills, and even participate in competitions. Have you seen the latte art competitions in Taiwan? So cool! They have a serious dedication that I want to learn."
Before I could respond, she continued, "You might think I'm trying to flatter you to get the job, but I genuinely love your bubble tea! And it's not about the bobas, because I'm not a fan of bobas. Your milk tea is smooth, similar to Koi The, but with a different tea base. I believe your tea leaves come from Taiwan, and the brown sugar is naturally made from Malacca, which creates a unique, non-processed feel."
I was stunned. I hadn't expected her to be so articulate and professional in expressing her thoughts. I couldn't imagine she was just a 19-year-old. She didn't have the typical introversion of a young person entering the workforce, nor was she overly confident or annoying. She communicated her inner thoughts honestly and engagingly, without shallowness.
My heart was touched by her sincerity. I asked, "We currently have two openings, one for the morning shift and one for the night shift. Which one would you like?"
She thought for a moment and then exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!"
"What's wrong?"
"Am I hired?"
"Under probation: two weeks."
"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! That's great!" She excitedly screamed. Her piercing scream made me instantly regret the decision, but it was too late to change it. I would need to establish some rules for her.
Joyee rested her chin on her hand, gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling for a while.
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Clap! Clap!
She laughed and said, "I want the morning shift!"
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To be continued…
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