As the coffee cleansed his palate, he was immediately ready for another bite. Still, he also noticed that the bitter flavor attuned him more to the subtle sweetness of the mochi rice, enriching it.
“Hm… Not bad. I think I quite like it. Yes, I do like it.”
That’s how Mr. Doi felt about the smooth azuki paste ohagi, but what about the other ones, which weren’t made with beans? The matcha and sakura ohagi?
Finishing the smooth azuki dessert all too quickly, Mr. Doi reached for another—the sakura ohagi.
“Oh-ho.”
What a treat. Mr. Doi thought that there was no way any coffee, weak or otherwise, wouldn’t overpower the delicate flavor of sweet white bean paste with salt-preserved sakura petals, but that wasn’t the case at all. The sophisticated sweetness of the white bean paste did fade into the background when the bitterness of coffee overlapped it. Still, the aroma of the slightly salty sakura petals shone through. It was almost like drinking sakura-flavored coffee. Mr. Doi couldn’t help smiling, delighted by the fragrance even more than the flavor.
Next was the matcha ohagi, which was made with white bean paste mixed with matcha. The bitterness of coffee would normally compete with the bitterness of green tea, but the latter was so mellow that the rivalry turned into cooperation, toning down the sweetness of the dessert for a refreshingly light finish. Now, this was a pairing attuned to the refined taste buds of adults.
Lastly, there was the chunky azuki paste ohagi, and this, too, was a winner.
After the last bite, Mr. Doi had a surprising thought. The ohagi set was so well designed, with azuki-flavored ohagi on each side so that whether you started from left or right, you would learn of the excellent compatibility between azuki and coffee. Reassured, you would try the other flavors with more courage and finish your adventure with the comforting azuki again. People like himself, who doubted the pairing of coffee with traditional Japanese desserts, would find themselves converted.
Mr. Doi smiled at Mika, his eyes admitting defeat. Mika smiled back confidently.
“You surprised me there,” said Mr. Doi. “Thanks to you, I’ve made a new discovery today… Everything is worth a try, I suppose.”
“No matter your age… Or rather, the older we are, the more preconceptions we harbor, which makes us all the more susceptible to surprise as we make discoveries. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“It is wonderful when you’re served a discovery on a, well, not a silver platter, but at least a plate.”
The men laughed.
“Here’s a perspective for you to think about. You don’t have that much life left. There is a preciously short span of time still available to you.”
Mr. Doi frowned, confused. Mika’s words sounded cruel, but his eyes were kind.
“The time you have is running out as we speak… Will you watch it trickle away until none is left?”
It was a surprising thing to hear from a barista. Nobody liked to think they might not have long to live, and Mr. Doi considered it a given that you wouldn’t remind anyone of it. The polite things to say were “You’re still young” and “You can still achieve so much.” That was the norm. Why was Mika saying the opposite?
“That way of thinking can be depressing…”
“Of course. Some people would give up on trying to do anything, thinking there is no point. But are you one of them? Are you the type to sit and wait for death as the clock ticks the seconds away?”
Mr. Doi fell silent, thinking about it. It occurred to him that that might have been his attitude not so long ago, but that had changed lately…
He’d already lived through most of his lifespan. It was a depressing thought, but it also galvanized him to try to do as much as he could while he could. It made him restless, prompting him to move, to do. Chisato and Takina had opened his eyes to the possibilities he thought had no longer been there for him.
Age did close many doors, but if you stopped sitting around and went looking, you’d find new ones you never knew were there.
Now that Mr. Doi had discovered that the café’s premise of pairing Japanese desserts with coffee was sound, he would need to devote himself to exploring all the combinations. Given his limited time, sitting at the counter and gazing despondently into a cup of black coffee was no longer an option.
To think his shrunken world could expand again so quickly…
“Well, you read me like a book.”
Mika smiled assuredly.
He was a fine man. Mr. Doi thought that if he were a woman, he’d have fallen in love with the barista’s knowing smile.
“This outlook is actually Chisato’s, although she might not be aware of it. She lives fiercely, treasuring every minute, every second, as if it might be her last.”
“Really? A young girl like her?”
“Life has already taught her a hard lesson.”
If she made sure every moment of her existence counted from a young age, her life would be as densely packed as several average lifespans. How extraordinary!
“And that’s how she turned out the way she is, never giving others a moment of peace.”
Mr. Doi laughed, thinking Chisato’s excessive energy wasn’t bad.
“Life’s only too short…”
Lost in thought, he gazed out the window. The sun was shining brightly. It was summer already, and soon the days would get oppressively hot… How many more summers would he experience? How many times would he go to the beach or the mountains? How much time would he spend happily drinking with his friends? It was depressing to think he didn’t have many days left, but there was no use dwelling on it as the clock kept ticking. He had to find something to occupy himself with to not waste the remainder of his life.
The last time he’d gone away somewhere in the summer had been five years ago. What about this year? Where should he go? Or maybe he should buy a plane ticket—no, a train ticket—on the spur of the moment and simply enjoy the act of traveling? Whatever he chose to do, he was sure he would appreciate it. Of course he would—no more giving up on anything that took effort. Life was short, and he’d lived through most of his already. He mustn’t put things off until “some other time” because there might not be “some other time.”
Time was a precious commodity, and as he had less and less of it with each passing day, he had to be greedy. Inaction was a waste of his life.
He had to get moving right away…
“Well, you made me realize I’ve been making a mistake sitting here moping over my coffee.”
“And what will you do instead from now on?”
“I think I’d like to start with trying all the desserts you have on the menu.”
“Excellent. You may find many of them quite filling, so I would suggest spreading it out over several days at the least. And don’t forget healthy exercise.”
“But of course.”
As the men laughed, the doorbell rang. Ding-a-ling!
“Hello! We’re baaack!” Chisato called cheerfully.
She and Takina sped into the café. The regulars greeted them as if they were triumphant warriors returning from a battle, not merely cute waitresses.
“Teach, we’ve got an order from Niigata. I’ll need a bag of our best beans! An extra-large bag! Oh, Mr. Doi… You’re here… Er… Takina!”
Takina seemed either sleepy or tired. Chisato pushed her toward Mr. Doi. As she approached him, she noticed the empty plate before him and gasped.
“Mr. Doi… You had a dessert?”
“How did you…? Ah. Yes, I had ohagi.”
“By the way,” Mika spoke up, “Takina helped prepare the ohagi for today.”
Mr. Doi was a little surprised, having assumed that Mika had prepared everything by himself. The café served a variety of beverages and desserts, though, so he should have guessed that Mika needed some help.
To think the little ohagi had been made by the girl, shaped by her hands with fingers so slender and delicate, they looked as if anything weighing more than a pen would be too much for them…
“Did you…like the ohagi?”
“Yes, they were delicious. Took me by surprise. I was just telling the boss that I’ll have to try all the other desserts as well.”
When he said that, a beautiful smile appeared on Takina’s usually impassive face. She blushed a little, but the reddish tinge was easy to see on her pale cheeks. It was the prettiest smile that only young girls possessed.
“I’m so happy to hear that! The other desserts are just as delicious, I promise… I will gladly serve you something different on your next visit!”
Mr. Doi told her he wasn’t leaving yet, and they all laughed—Takina a little shyly.