"I'm meeting up with Charlie and some of our classmates from elementary school. Would you like to come along? We'll be hiking on Mount Makiling next Sunday." Roy seemed excited.
"Sorry, Roy. The new branch will also be opening on that day. Stacey will be pissed if I don't show up." Marcia answered.
"Okay. I will be happier if you came with us, but you must be there at the store opening." Roy said with an effusive smile.
"I will be back to help out Mr. Garcia after. Gerald had to go back home in a hurry for a family emergency." Marcia said wryly. "Do you want to head on over there for a snack? My sweet tooth is acting up."
"Thanks for the help, Marcia. The new staff will be coming in next week so you won't have to support the crew for long." Mr. Garcia was genuinely grateful.
"I'm happy to be able to help out, Mr. Garcia. It's fun to be here and to learn from you." Marcia replied. "Roy will be out hiking for the weekend so he won't be around to bother you also."
"Oh, I don't bother Mr. Garcia. I just stay here for the Raspberry Almond Tart." Roy smiled as he took a bite of the tasty sweet.
The three friends had a nice talk while joking and laughing together until closing time came. They bade each other good night and went home for a restful evening.
"Good morning, Marcia. I'm going to the hospital for a follow up with my doctor so I won't be here for a couple of days. Is it okay if I leave you in charge? Mr. Garcia was a little embarrassed to ask Marcia but she's more than capable of handling the situation.
"Sure, Mr. Garcia. I'll take care of the store while you're gone." Marcia wanted to see how the place can be improved before she goes back to the big city so this is the perfect timing.
"Perfect. See you soon." Said Mr. Garcia.
"Bye, Mr. Garcia." Marcia did her best Ms. Universe wave and smile. Now on to business.
Marcia checked the kitchen crew preparations and helped clean the dining area after Mr. Garcia left. Everything was perfect. She checked the cash register to make sure that there was enough change for the day and looked at the weather forecast. Everything was ready for the opening so Marcia poured herself a cup of coffee and sampled one of the bagels that just came out.
"Delicious. A little on the sweet side but very tasty. I have to tell the baker to reduce the amount of confectioners' sugar for the next batch." Marcia took mental note. Marcia was finishing up her bagel when the first customer came in.
"Good morning, sir! Welcome to San Sebastian Bakeshop." Tala opened the door and greeted the customer with a smile.
"Good morning, can I have an Americano and egg sandwich please." The man ordered and then sat down.
"Is Mr. Garcia in?" The customer politely asked.
"Oh, he won't be coming in for today. May I ask what is it about? I'm Marcia, by the way." Marcia introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you, Marcia. I'm Raul. Are you Glenda's daughter by any chance?" Raul Gomez introduced himself respectfully.
"How did you know my mom?" Marcia was surprised.
"We went to school together. I saw her at the grocery store the other day and she was gushing about her successful daughter who will be home for Christmas. She also told me that you were helping out Mr. Garcia. This is my favorite bakeshop and I would be sad if it closed down even for a few days." Raul explained.
"I'm happy to help out. You know, this bakeshop was the reason I went to culinary school and the staff are more than capable of running the shop even without Mr. Garcia around, so I'm not worried about that." said Marcia.
"About that... I actually work at the bank, Marcia. You see, Mr. Garcia approached me last year about a loan to renovate the place. I helped him get a business loan for renovation to keep the palace current with the millennials taste. His financials were doing well until he got sick. His business loan is due next week and I had hoped to discuss this with him." Raul explained with a sad face.
"That's a revelation. Can't you extend it until the shop recovers? Loan restructuring is not uncommon, right?" Marcia was thinking of how to remedy the situation.
"I already did that, Marcia. We are allowed to do it once for this type of loan. Management is pressuring me to close out the loan because it is the end of the year. I can't do anything about it. I'm sorry, Marcia." Raul said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, I see. Can we keep this between us until the results of Mr. Garcia's follow up test results come out?" said Marcia.
"Of course, Marcia. Well, I have to go now. It was nice meeting you. Please say hi to your mom for me." Raul was in a hurry.
"I will, Mr. Gomez. Thanks." Marcia's Ms. Universe-like wave goodbye was now uninspired. She had to take steps immediately.
Marcia called Stacey to explain the situation. They can't afford to help out financially because they just used up their extra cash for the new branch opening.
"I'm sorry about this Stacey. I won't be able to come help out in the preparations for the opening of the new shop. I will make it up to you once I get back." Marcia was happy that her business partner was her best friend. She knows that Stacey had been working overtime but she can't leave Mr. Garcia now.
"No worries, my friend. I'm Stacey, remember. I can do anything!" Stacey was more than happy to work double-time.
Mr. Garcia's test results were good. His recovery was fast but he still can't work. Marcia's hatched up a plan to increase the bakeshop's revenues so she called up Roy. He agreed with the plan and believed that Marcia can pull it off.
"Good morning, everyone! As you may already know. The bakeshop is in a tight spot. The bank will allow us a short extension but we have to move quickly. Mr. Garcia won't be here for the next few days to complete his medical check up so it's up to us to step up. Are you all with me on this?" Marcia asked the staff to help increase the shop's revenues and they were more than willing to help out.
"Yes!" They answered in chorus.
The first part of the plan involved handing out flyers to the community and raising awareness via social media. They also created a 50% off promo 1 hour before closing to help lessen food waste.
The following day...
"We did really well, Marcia. Sales doubled for today. The plan is working. You're amazing." Tala was elated with how well they did and was in awe of Marcia.
"Thanks, Tala. We're still not out of the woods yet. The bank gave us two weeks to pay for loan in full." Marcia wasn't satisfied with the results.
"How about if we sold fruit cake for Christmas? It's the tradition here to have fruit cakes on Christmas eve noche buena meal." Tala's suggestion lit up a light-bulb in Marcia's head.
"That's a good idea, Tala. We can also sell it in tin cans to preserve the taste and flavor. This is all the rave in the big city these days. It might just work." said Marcia.
The next few days saw bigger sales for the store, and the fruit cake in can was a big hit. If the store maintained revenues, then they will have raised the money to pay back half of the loan balance.
"The store is doing well, but still short of the loan balance, Roy. What shall we do?" said Marcia.
"Here." Roy pulled out a white envelope full of cash.
"Where did you get this money, Roy? I thought you were having problems with your card withdrawals?" Marcia was flabbergasted.
"I told the guys about the problem and they decided to help out. They loved this place so they chipped in whatever they can to help out." Roy explained.
"You're awesome!" Marcia remarked. They both laughed and told Mr. Garcia about it.
Mr. Garcia came back from his check up with clean bill of health. With the loan paid for, a burden had been removed on Mr. Garcia's shoulders. The store was now profitable thanks to Marcia's improvements.
"I had no doubt in my mind that you were both angels sent by heaven. Thanks again to both of you." Mr. Garcia shed tears of joy and the special bond of love and friendship continued.