Kai

Over the vast blue ocean comes a traveler riding on his trusted boat. The sails of the boat catches the summer winds which takes him from one distant place to the next across the globe. In each town he travels to, he sets up a diner or cafe where he feeds the locals and share his talent for cooking. This may be a simple dream, but his talent allows him to travel the world following the summer winds.

The young traveler named Kai holds on to the mast of his boat and looks ahead. The town’s trees and mountains rise above the horizon, he smiles cheerfully as he watches the shores of Mineral Town comes closer. The journey from the last town took several days, but he has arrived at his destination safely. He then grabs on to the ropes to turn the sail and prepare to dock at the beach.

Once the boat hits the sand, Kai jumps out to let his feet touch land. He ties the boat to a nearby post and lowers the sail to prevent it from drifting away. He the grabs his rucksack of cooking supplies before heading inland. Near the Rose Square, Kai has set up a place where he can serve the locals and tourists his best meals. His diner has been boarded up since the end of the last summer of Mineral Town. Of all the food establishments he owns, this one is the one who is giving him the most trouble. Even if it doesn’t perform as well as his other locations, he refuses to give up.

He pulls off the boards from the door and takes a step inside. Other than some dust that settled, everything is exactly as he left it. Nobody has broken in to steal anything, no flooding, and no pests running around. He takes a sigh of relief, he won’t need to do much other than some light cleaning and maintenance. With some hard work and elbow grease, he’ll be ready to open tomorrow.

“Time to get started,” said Kai as he rolls his sleeves up.

He spends all day cleaning the dining room and kitchen. The paint outside the diner has faded, so Kai takes a few hours to give it a fresh coat. Once the town gets dark, Kai takes the time to connect his gas tanks to the stove and grill to make sure they work. Later that night, Kai’s Seaside Shack is ready to open. He tosses himself on his bed in the back and falls asleep dreaming of all the hungry tourist who will eat his food starting tomorrow.

A few days later, Kai’s Seaside Shack hasn’t received a single customer. He can clearly see people enjoying the beach, but none of them even look at the diner. The grill is hot, the stove is ready, and the sign says “open”. But no matter how long he waits, nobody comes in. He even wore his favorite bandanna that matches his purple outfit, but nobody even notices him or the diner.

“At this rate, I’ll have to shut this place down next year,” said Kai as he rests his face on the counter.

A few minutes later, the front door opens and someone walks in. Kai looks up and finds a young attractive girl wearing a yellow hoodie walking around his dining room. He gets excited seeing that he finally has a guest. He stands up straight ready to serve his customer, “hi, welcome to Kai’s Seaside Shack! Can I take your order?”

“Wow, this place is a diner? I had no idea. I just noticed this place opened, so I wanted to check out what’s up,” said the young girl. She then walks up to Kai and greets, “my name is Naomi, I just moved into the farm last spring. It’s nice to meet you.”

Kai shakes Naomi’s hand, “I’m Kai. I’m a traveling cook. I stop by Mineral Town every summer.” He then gets an idea, “I know! Since you’re new in town, the first meal is on me.”

“Really? That sounds great! I am a bit hungry,” answered Naomi.

Naomi takes a seat on the counter, then Kai hands her a menu. The menu is a bit limited, but she thinks everything on it looks tasty. She decides to order the “Kai’s Special” which is fried noodles mixed with summer vegetables. With her order in place, Kai fires up his stove to put on his best show.

Kai puts some noodles to boil in a pot, then takes out some fresh veggies out the fridge. He gives the hot peppers, corn, onions, and pumpkin a fine chop. Naomi is quite impressed at how quick and skilled Kai is with a knife without injuring himself. All the veggies are cut evenly and ready for the noodles quickly. Once the noodles are al dente, he drains then dumps the noodles in a wok with oil. He stirs the noodles vigorously as he adds the veggies slowly and in order. Once all the veggies are in the noodles, Kai gives the mixture a toss which causes the fire to flare up. He grabs a jar of his signature tomato sauce and pours it in along a collection of spices. Naomi claps for him as she watches Kai cook like a master chef. Her then pours the noodles on a plate, then slides it across the counter stopping right in front of Naomi.

The plate looks so delicious that Naomi wastes no time to eat. She grabs a fork and twirls the noodles before taking a bite. Her eyes sparkle as the blend of flavors dance around her tongue. The dish is a bit spicy, but not overpowering. The summer vegetables are fresh and still have a slight crunch to them. The noodles are soft and filled with the flavors of Kai’s tomato sauce. She is amazed at how good the food is from a diner she had no idea existed.

“How is it?” asked Kai.

“It’s perfect! The noodles, veggies, and sauce blends so well together. This must be the best meal I’ve ever had in my life! But. . .” Naomi takes another look at the empty dining room and continues, “why is this place so empty? You would think there would be more people eating around this time.”

Kai chuckles nervously as he explains, “well, I was busier the first year I opened the diner. But things slowed down since then. It’s a shame, I don’t think I can stay open for much longer if I can’t get any customers.”

“What!? No way! I can’t let that happen, this food is way too good!” Naomi then stands up after finishing her meal. She takes a hard look around the diner to see how can she help Kai out with his business. “I think I know what your problem is. Your place is just too boring and generic. It needs a woman’s touch. You don’t even have a sign outside to even let people know that this is a diner.”

“Well that makes sense. Most of the customers in my other locations are manly sailors and fishermen. Not too many ladies comes around to visit,” answered Kai.

As Naomi continues to look around, she finds an apron hanging from a closet with Kai’s supplies. At this point, she gets an idea to help his business out. She grabs the apron and ties it around her waist. She then rolls up her sleeves and asks, “got any paint?”

“Umm, yea sure. I think I have some left over,” answered Kai in a shocked tone.

“Good, cause we’re going to give your shack a make-over. Consider it a ‘thanks’ for treating me to a meal. Now lets get busy,” ordered Naomi.

Kai sighs stressfully. He just met this young farmer, but she just pretty much took over. But since his business is struggling, he figures that he should take her advice and let her help. He is willing to try anything to get more customers into the building.

The first thing Naomi suggests is to dress up the dining room a bit. She covers each table with a patterned tablecloth to make the dining room feel more welcoming. She also decorates the tables with sea shells and other items she finds in the beach to give the room a more summer ascetic. She also hangs many items on the walls that she finds nearby like ropes, ring buoys, oars, and fishing nets. Once the decorations are done, Kai becomes impressed at how good his diner is looking.

The next day, Kai and Naomi work together to make a sign to hang in front of the diner. He uses paint to spell out “Kai’s Seaside Shack” in font big enough to see across the beach. Naomi even draws a purple bandanna similar to what Kai wears on the “S” on Seaside. Naomi promises that this will catch more attention from the tourists. After Kai nails the sign over the door, he steps back to take a good look at his newly decorated diner. All of Naomi’s ideas look great, he is sure that customers will flock inside now.

That Friday, the beaches of Mineral Town are filled with tourists. But even with Naomi’s ideas, the diner is still empty without a single customer. But Naomi isn’t ready to give up, she still has one idea left to try. They paint a small sign for Kai to carry, then takes a walk around the beach to advertise the diner. Naomi yells out to the tourists that Kai’s Seaside Shack is open for business, and that the food is the best or their money back. Kai feels a bit embarrassed to walk around carrying a sign while Naomi is shouting around the beach. But his mood brightens once he sees some people at the beach get up and head towards the diner. He can’t keep them waiting, so he hands Naomi the sign so he can let the customers in and start cooking. Naomi stays at the beach to attract more people.

The shack didn’t get too many customers that day, but Kai did serve over a dozen orders. It’s a great start, all the customers were happy with their meals promising to return and tell their friends. Kai thanks Naomi for her help, but she insists, “I am not done yet! I want this diner to be the most successful one in the whole world!” With that, Naomi makes daily visits to Kai’s shack after her work on her own farm.

Day after day, Kai’s diner only gets busier every day. People has been talking about Kai’s delicious food, and more people comes to try it out. Even Bon Vivant has made a surprise appearance to try Kai’s famous cooking. This makes Kai’s reputation only better. On slower days, Naomi keeps walking the beach to advertise Kai’s diner. On busier days, she helps out by waiting on tables and cleaning up. She even sells her crops directly to Kai so he can have a steady supply of food to sell. Kai does offer to pay her for her help, but Naomi insists on free meals in exchange.

By mid summer, Kai has made more than enough money to keep the diner open. It is now evening, and the diner is closed for the day. As Kai is counting his register, he takes a look at Naomi who is wiping off the tables. He really appreciates her help, but he wish there was anything else he can do to repay her.

“Hey, do you need anything?” asked Kai.

She looks up at him and smiles, “no, not really. But I would appreciate it if you could wrap up some leftovers for me.”

“Sure thing,” answered Kai. There isn’t much, but there is enough to make a plate for Naomi to take home. After fixing the plate, he notices that Naomi is carrying a stack of plates to the kitchen and there is a puddle of soda that was spilled on the ground. “Watch out,” shouted Kai as he jumps over the counter.

His warning is a bit late, she steps on the puddle and slips. Kai catches her in time as she tosses the plates in the air. They both fall, but Kai is able to keep her safe. The plates fall on the floor shattering all over the place. Despite all this, nobody is hurt.

“Are you okay?” asked Kai. His face turns red as soon as he notices how close he is to Naomi. She is laying on him, and their eyes are mere inches apart. They stare into each others eyes as their bodies make full contact. They can’t help but to blush hard. Kai is tall, dark, and handsome with impressive cooking skills. Naomi is also very attractive with her dark brunette shoulder length hair and large brown eyes. They both like each other, but they’ve kept their distance until now.

Naomi makes the first bold move and kiss Kai in the lips. He is surprised at first, but he finds himself wrapping his arms around her while kissing her back. They can feel each others heart almost beating in unison. They begin to undress each other and allow nature to take it’s course.

The next morning, Kai wakes up and notices that Naomi already left. She left a note for him saying that she needs to take care of her farm, but she’ll be back soon. He embraces the note tenderly as he realizes that he is in love.

From that moment on, Kai and Naomi continue to work together in the diner. Each day is another hectic time filled with happy customers coming in and out. Once the store is closed and clean, they hold hands as they retreat back to Kai’s room. They hold each other tightly as they lay on the bed and kiss each other tenderly. Their grip tightens as they love each other passionately through the night. For both of them, this turned out to be a perfect summer romance.

As the days pass on one by one, Kai can feel the autumn winds pick up. At that moment, he realizes that he will need to pack up and leave in a few days. His other diners are waiting for him to open far across the ocean. He wonders what will he tell Naomi. She does know that Kai is a traveling cook and only stays for the summer, but things have changed. He is in love with Naomi, and he finds himself not wanting to leave. He wonders if maybe she feels the same way.

But despite his feelings, he knows he can’t stay. He has other diners to run, and the customers are waiting for him. He considers the idea to take Naomi with him, but he remembers that she has her own farm. He loves to cook, but he loves her too. His heart is being pulled into two different directions, and he’ll need to make an important decision.

That night, Kai and Naomi work together to wash the dishes. He watches her clean cheerfully and wonders if maybe she forgot that Kai will need to leave soon. They haven’t talked about each others plan once summer ends, so he feels that this time is good as any.

“Hey Naomi, you do remember that I need to travel to my next diner once summer ends. Right?” asked Kai.

Naomi slowly lowers the plate she was cleaning and responds, “I know. You have other diners far away from Mineral Town.” She then looks at Kai with sad eyes as she asks, “do you promise to come back next year?”

Kai quickly embraces the love of his life and says, “of course, don’t worry. I would never leave you behind. I’ll be back next summer, I swear it!”

They then kiss each other once again. They don’t care if they are covered with food scraps or bubbles, they know they are going to miss each other once Kai leaves Mineral Town. But with this promise, they know that their love with continue to grow and blossom. Even if they are far away.

On the last day of summer, Kai boards up the diner once again and packs the boat. The trip will take several days to reach his next diner, but he knows he can get there safely. But he refuses to leave until Naomi comes by so they can say their goodbyes for now.

Naomi finds Kai at the beach at around noon. Saying goodbye to the man she loves will be hard, but she will wait for him to come back next summer. She walks up to him blushing as she holds a gift hidden behind her back. She bought something so Kai can remember the promise both of them made to each other.

“I have something for you,” said Naomi as she hands Kai the gift. Kai opens the box and finds a small flower that grows in a glass jar.

“What is this?” asked Kai.

“It’s a preserved flower. In Mineral Town, it is how people confess their love and become an official couple. So, will you accept my confession?” asked Naomi.

Kai smiles as he answers, “of course. I’d be honored to be your boyfriend.” He then takes out a clam shell out of his pocket and hands it to her. “This is for you.”

“What is it?”

“Open it.”

Naomi opens the clam to find a lustrous pearl resting inside. “This is called a Sea Talisman. Where I come from, we use pearls to confess our love. Will you accept my confession and be my girl?” asked Kai.

Naomi nods while wiping a tear of happiness off her cheek. Kai then gives her one last kiss before saying, “I’m going to run my diners one last time. I’m going to tell all my friend goodbye, then come back next year. When I do, I want to marry you. But until then, goodbye.”

Naomi nods as she allows Kai to do what he needs to do. He boards the boat and raises the sail so he can drift away into the ocean and follow the summer winds to the next town far away. He plans to sell off all his other businesses so he can permanently settle down and become a resident of Mineral Town. As he rides the winds to his next destination, his mind and heart is filled with dreams of marriage and a family with the farmer of Mineral Town.

The End.