Jewel of my Heart

Coffee and Dayap Cake

Dranz

  Since the night that Max and I cleared up whatever misunderstanding between us, I felt relieved. I felt like a huge weight was taken off my shoulders.

  I went down to have some breakfast, and my family was already seated.

"Good morning." I greeted, and took a seat next to my brother.

"You came home late last night." I heard mom say.

  I looked at her and gave her an awkward smile.

"Yeah, I was." I said.

"Your car is not in the garage too." Dad said.

  I opened and closed my mouth and tried looking around.

"We're you out with your friends?" I heard dad ask.

  I looked down and nodded.

"That's good." I heard him say.

  I looked at him, surprised, dad looked at me.

"What? I think it's time for you to act like your age and not a freaking old man." Dad said.

  I frowned. Like an old man? Really? 

"I agree with your dad, Dranz. You did well in school, and never gave us any problem. It's time for you to have fun." Mom said.

  I looked at my parents, gaping like a fish.

"Great. So I have this-"

  Eirick started but he was cut off by dad.

"You on the other hand, are grounded."

  Eirick gaped at dad.

"What? No! I can't stay here. I'll go crazy!" Eirick exclaimed.

  I rolled my eyes at him.

"You're flanking your classes that's why." I mumbled, and Eirick glared my way.

  I ignored him and took a sip of my coffee.

"You need to pass your classes to remain on the team, am I right?" Dad asked Eirick.

  Eirick pouted and nodded.

"My teacher already assigned a tutor for me." He said.

"That's great. You can do the tutoring here after school." Dad told him.

  Eirick's face lit up.

"Really? Sure!" Eirick exclaimed, grinning.

  What's up with this kid? Earlier he was sulking now, he's excited.I thought.

*****************

  After breakfast, I left to school. I still have a few papers to turn in. It may not be urgent but still, I want all my projects and papers done and submitted.

  I only have a few months until I graduate, and I don't want to have any problem regarding my studies.

  After classes, and passing my papers I went to our spot in the cafe. But I did not see Drenk or any of my friends. But one familiar face caught my eyes. A face that shines like the first ray of sunshine.

  Maxine Emerald Braganza.

  I walked towards her, watching her frown while looking at her phone.

"Hey." I greeted her.

  She looked at me and let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally. Someone I know." She said.

"Please take a seat." She added.

  I pulled out a chair and sit.

"What brings you here?" I asked.

"I was on my way to a friend's cafe. I decided to drop by to ask Sami and Aris. But unfortunately, they are both in classes so they can't come." She said frowning, waving her phone.

  A frown on her beautiful face doesn't sit well with me, and I don't know why.

"Can't you go to your friend's cafe alone?" I asked.

"I can. But I want them to taste the food there. Who knows I can get Sami to invest." She said.

  I furrowed my eyebrows at her.

"Invest?" I asked.

  She looked at me and smile.

"I invested in that cafe a few years back. But I want the cafe to flourish more, so I want to find other investors." She said.

"Why? Is the cafe on the verge of bankruptcy?" I asked.

  Max chuckled and shook her head.

"On the contrary, the cafe is doing good. too good that I just want them to expand." She said.

  With that said, I can feel the gears in my head turn. Why would an heiress like Max so adamant on finding investors in a cafe? What's in it?

  Then max turned to me, looking at me intently.

"You're a Salvatore." She said.

"Yes I am." I said.

"You are also a Grimaldi."

"Yes." I said, looking at her questionably. 

  Then she grinned and grabbed me by my shoulders, which surprised me.

"If I can convince you how great that cafe is, will you invest?" She asked.

  I blinked my eyes twice.

"W-What?" I asked.

  She let go of me and chuckled.

"With your background, you are a very qualified investor." She paused then she stood up looking determined.

  Then she looked down at me.

"Do you still have classes?" She asked, and I shook my head.

"Great. You're coming with me." She said, then she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the cafe.

  I'm still confused as to what's happening that I didn't notice that she managed to drag me out of the University building.

"W-Wait. Where are we going?" I asked her, while she's looking around the street.

   Then she turned towards with the mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I am going to kidnap you Mr. Drancis Salvatore." She said.

  Then a cab stopped in front of us, and Max opened the passenger door and pushed me inside, before climbing in. When she closed the door, she turned to the cab driver.

"Inamorata cafe, just two blocks from here." She said, and the cab driver nodded, driving off.

  Max was grinning like a cheshire cat while we are on the road. This makes me think if there is something wrong with this girl. 

***************

  When we got off the cab, we stood in front of a small cafe in between on two huge buildings. The cafe looked old, and it has a rusty signboard that says Inamorata. 

"Inamorata huh." I mumbled, and I heard Max chuckle softly.

"Yeah. It's a bit cheesy but that word actually mean a lot ot the owners." Max said.

  I looked at her.

"Are the owners of this cafe, lovers? Inamorata come from the Italian innamorare, which means 'to fall in love'. If they are lovers that want to sound a little old-fashioned, the guy might refer to his girlfriend as his inamorata. A woman you love in a romantic way is your inamorata, although it's not a very common term these days." I explained.

  Max smirked.

"Very well said signore Salvatore." She said and she grabbed my hand pulling me towards inside the cafe.

  Inside the cafe, I felt warm and cool at the same time. The vibe brought by the decors are hard to read. 

  Max pulled me towards the table near the windows, and took a seat.

"This place is nice." I said looking around.

"Cool right?" She asked, and I nodded while still looking around.

"What's their theme for the interior?" I asked.

"Filipino customs." She answered.

  I looked at her, with furrowed eyebrows.

"The owners of this cafe are my Filipino friends. So the interior design is based on everything you can see inside a common Filipino household." Max paused, then she pointed towards the set of huge wooden spoon and fork.

"See those set of spoon and fork? Almost every Filipino household have that in their kitchen or dining area. The tables and chairs here are made up of bamboos, just like a common traditional Filipino furnitures. Here they also uses banana leaves as their mats, coasters, plates, bowls, along with cutlery made up of bamboo and coconut shells." Max explained.

  Made up of what?

  Then a waitress approached us, handing us the menu.

"Magandang araw! What can I get you?" The waitress asked.

(Good morning!)

"We would like two cups of kapeng Alamid, cheesy maja blanca, biko, espasol, kutsinta, sapin sapin and of course, dayap cake." Max ordered without even looking at the menu.

  The waitress smiled, jotting down Max's order.

"I'll have your order in a minute. Excuse me." The waitress said and left.

  I turned to Max.

"What were those you ordered?" I asked.

"For starters, their coffee here is really good. It's their version of Luwak coffee of Indonesia." She said, and my eyes widened.

"The poop coffee?!" I exclaimed, which made Max laugh.

"Yes. but unlike that coffee which will cost you a hundred dollars a cup, this one's a bit cheaper but with same taste and quality." She explained.

  I narrowed my eyes at her.

"It's still poop." I grumbled.

  Then the waitress came back with everything Max ordered.

"Is there any additional orders?" The waitress asked.

"More water." I said eyeing the coffee in front of me.

"And please tell Ina and Angelo that Max is here." Max said.

"Certainly ma'am." The waitress said and left.

  Max and I turned to what's on our table.

"So, here is the rare and exotic Philippine Civet Coffee. These coffee beans are more commonly known as Kape Alamid in the Philippines.  These are harvested from the rich grounds of Sierra Madre Mountains and Cordillera province. It is one of the most coveted among coffee connoisseurs the world over." Max explained.

"Poop coffee." I said.

  Max rolled her eyes.

"Just take a sip." She said.

  Now it was my turn to roll my eyes, then I took the cup to my lips and took a sip of the coffee.

   The moment the hot beverage touched my tongue, the aroma and rich flavour is like an explosion. Its aroma added to the flavourful taste of the coffee. It tastes so good that I took another sip.

   Max grinned and then she pointed towards the food.

"This is their Cheesy Maja blanca. It's is a Filipino dessert made primarily from coconut milk. Also known as coconut pudding, it is usually served during fiestas and during the holidays, especially Christmas." She said pointing at the white colored dish.

  I took a fork that may I mention made up of bamboo and coconut shell.

I took a small piece of what they call maja blanca and brought it to my mouth.

  The texture is a good solid and soft, and it's taste is good. The sweetness is surprisingly going well with the saltiness of the cheese.

"It's good!" I exclaimed, taking another bite.

  Max smiled and pointed at another dish.

"This one is called Biko, It is a sweet rice cake from the Philippines. It is made of coconut milk, brown sugar, and glutinous rice. It is usually topped with latik, which is a syrupy caramelized coconut cream used as a dessert sauce. In the northern Philippines, it refers to solid byproducts of coconut oil production, used as garnishing for a variety of desserts. Go ahead and try." She said.

   I took a small piece of what Max called Biko, and put it in my mouth. The sweet taste and sticky yet munchy texture compliments it well.

"Hmm, it's good too." I said, and Max looked thrilled.

  She pointed at another plate of food she ordered.

 "This is what they call Espasol. It is a type of rice cake that is made of rice flour cooked in coconut milk, which is a cylindrically shaped treat." She explained.

  I took a small piece and tasted it. The white powder taste bland but it 

kind of helped to balance the sweet taste of the sticky rice cake.

"This is good too." I said.

  She pointed towards another plate.

"That is what they call Kutsinta. It is a type of steamed rice cake found throughout the Philippines. It is made from a mixture of tapioca or rice flour, brown sugar and lye, enhanced with yellow food coloring or annatto extract, and steamed in small ramekins." She explained.

"They are all made up of rice?" I asked.

"Yes. Philippines have large rice farmlands. Heck, one of the Wonder of the World is found there. The Banaue Rice Terraces." She said.

  I gave her a curt nod before taking a taste of what she called Kutsinta. This one taste perfect, not too sweet, not too bland. Also I love the jello like texture. Then I took another sip of coffee.

" Sapin-sapin is a layered glutinous rice and coconut dessert in Philippine cuisine. It is made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, water, flavoring and coloring. It is usually sprinkled with latik or toasted desiccated coconut flakes sprinkled on top." She explained, pointing at a dish that has a colorful layers.

  I took a piece and tasted it. It has the same texture of the kutsinta, but softer. It's also not that sweet, and the thing they called latik on top, added flavor.

"This is good too." I told her.

"And their best seller, Angelo's Dayap Cake." She said pointing at the slice of cake with light green frosting.

"Dayap?" I asked.

"It's Lime." She said with a smile.

  I nodded and took a piece and tasted it. Once it touched my tongue, It felt like it melts with the frosting. And the taste, it was sweet yet still have the tangy taste of the lime. The lime flavour was clear but not overpowering. I cut off a small piece and ate it, trying to guess what other ingredients in this cake.

  I let the cake settle in my tongue while guessing the ingredients by the taste.

"I can say that this cake is great. It's not too sweet and the lime is not overpowering. I can perfectly smell and taste it but not to the point that it made me nauseous. I can taste nuts, but I don't know which one. I can also taste something, but I cannot tell. The closest one to its taste was cheese." I said, taking another bite of the cake.

"It was Pili nut and Kesong Puti."

  I turned towards where the voice came from. Beside our table was a man and woman whom I think older than I am of about two years. They both have tanned skin and Asian features.

  Max grinned, then stood up and gave them a hug. When she pulled away from them, she turned to me.

"This is Ina and Angelo Buenavista. They own the place. Ina is the chef while Angelo is the baker." She said.

  I stood up and held my hand.

"Nice to meet you, you have a nice place." I told them.

"He's Dranz Salvatore, my cousin's friend." Max introduced me.

  They took my hand and shook it.

"A Salvatore, in our little cafe. It's a great honor." The guy named Angelo said.

"Not everyday we got to have a guest like him." The girl named Ina said.

"Let's take a seat." Max said and took a seat.

"Your name is all over the news, saying that you are back." Ina said to Max.

"Yeah." Max said, then she looked at me.

"I met Ina and Angelo when I was in a medical mission in the Philippines. Angelo and Ina's father is a governor there. Also Ina's mother is Amor Powers." Max said.

  I furrowed my eyebrows at her.

"Amor Powers? Of Power Corp? Like the chain of supermarket around Texas?" I asked, and Max nodded.

"Wow. I admire how Amor Powers managed to lift the company from the verge of bankruptcy after her ex husband died." I said.

  Ina and Max looked at me weirdly while Angelo chuckled.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. We just kind of have a very messed up family, but all good. Anyway, I noticed you have a keen tongue." Ina said.

"Kind of." I said.

"You've mentioned the ingredients that I was trying to guess earlier." I said.

"Oh yeah. The nuts you were able to taste is called Pili nut. It's an edible nut of the Philippine tree Canarium ovatum. The uncooked nuts  are even used as a laxative." Angelo explained.

"It tastes good. Its milky texture complemented the flavour of the lime. How about the cheese?" 

"Kesong puti." Ina answered.

  I furrowed my eyebrows.

"It is a Filipino soft, unaged, white cheese made from unskimmed carabao milk and salt curdled with vinegar, citrus juices, or sometimes rennet. It can also be made with goat or cow milk." Angelo explained.

"Wow."

"They use mostly ingredients from the Philippines." Max said.

"Your food is just great. I love it." I told them.

"I know right. That's why I did not think twice to invest when they told me, they will open a cafe here in New York." Max said.

  When she mentioned the word invest, it brought smile to my lips. This woman just made me think of a business venture.

"Max mentioned earlier that she wants the cafe to branch out, but you need more investors." I said.

"Yeah. Mom would like to invest but as much as possible, we want investors that is not from our family." Ina said.

  I let out sigh and leaned back, taking a sip of my delicious coffee. Then I looked at them.

"How about you give me a proposal. I want to read a good proposal from this business."I paused.

"Honestly, when Max dragged me here I am in doubt. But once I stepped inside, I feel like I am transported to your country. Also the food is to die for. So please do give me a proposal, and maybe we can talk about the investment." I told them.

  Ina and Angelo grinned.

"Of course. I will do it." Angelo said.

  I looked at Max who are smiling at me, and it made me smile back.

****************

  After we finished our business in the cafe, we went back to the campus.

"Are you going home now? I can drop you off." I offered, but Max shook her head.

"I still want to walk around." Max said, then she grabbed my hand.

"Thank you, for coming to the cafe with me." She said.

  I scratched the back of my head.

"You didn't give me much choice considering you dragged me there." I said with a smirk.

"Sorry. I tend to be impulsive sometimes." She said.

"Yeah I figured."

  I looked into her as she looked at me as well.

"Still thank you." She said.

"Thank you too. For dragging me there to taste such great food." I told her.

  She grinned and let go of my hand, and took a step back.

"I'll see you around Dranz." She said then she turned around and jogged away from me.

  All I did was watch her retreating back with a wide smile on my face.  

"You really are something Maxine Emerald, for making me miss my schedule." I said to myself when I remember that I should've been in mom's office for a quick coffee.

  I shook my head and pulled out my phone and called my mom.