Today was busy. Too busy. It seemed like everyone and their mother was out for brunch which meant Mia and her staff were working overtime to quickly put out high quality, delicious, desserts and breakfast sweets as best they could. Everything was chaotic but it was going well and everyone was working hard which is what she liked to see. It wasn’t until the height of the morning that she felt like breaking.
Apparently, some woman wanted to have a word with the pastry chef because she had some criticisms. Apparently, much to her chagrin, the woman was insistent so, Mia took off her apron, hung it up, and came out to greet the woman. Unfortunately, the criticism was seething and angry and “this is nothing like what I had on my summer in Paris!” Usually customers didn’t get to her but Mia’s patience was already running thin so she nodded softly, turned without speaking, and left to the back alley to catch her breath. As she walked away, she could hear the woman yelling.
When she finally got outside, away from listening ears, she let out a scream as her panic attack engulfed her entire body. Today was a rough day. It was her brother’s birthday and she had to work. She couldn’t engage in her usual tradition for him and it was just all too much. It was the first year since his death she hadn’t been able to get off work and she felt horrible. As she felt her sobs become more prevalent, she felt herself crouch down against the brick wall.
Just then, she heard some footsteps and sniffed, working quickly to wipe away her tears and look half way normal. “I-I um... S-sorry about th-that,” she sighed, keeping her eyes to the ground at the approaching individual. “Might have been too loud there.” Unfortunately her face was tear stained and she was shaking slightly.