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The scarlet cashmere sweater and blue jeans I wore hugged my body comfortably, giving me a sense of rightness and warmth in the mildly cold weather. Winter is over and spring is almost here. I pull on my thick brown coat and draw up the collar to cover my neck. 

It's just 6 am and I am already late today as I usually open our local bakery cum café as early as 5.30 am so the local bakers who work with us can get started on baking the bread and cupcakes to meet the early rush hour. 

I arrive at the bakery and walk around to the back of the building. A quick look to be sure everything is okay the way I left it the night before. Our neighbourhood is a dangerous place and littered with drug pushers and users, gang members and sometimes the mafia. They sometimes vandalize properties around here. 

I glimpse Carlos and Josefina Raúl, our bakers, standing beside the back door obviously waiting for me to open it. I have known this elderly couple since I was a child and they have never missed a day's work. Always on time and hard working. Just then, Pedro arrives to stand beside them. He's a Mexican immigrant and a baker too. I give them an apologetic smile. 

"Sorry, I'm late. *Perdon. Buenos dias*."  I say, especially to the Raúls who smile at my attempts to speak Spanish. 

"A fine morning to you, Kathy." Carlos Raúl responds while his wife, Josefina, merely gives me a nod. She is not a chatty person. 

"*Bienvenida mi señora.  Estás preciosa*," Pedro says, grinning mischievously as I put the key into the lock while he pushed the heavy iron door open with his strong hands. 

Pedro is lively and enjoys teasing me even though I am much older than he is and also his boss. He and I always have a good rapport and he seems bent on teaching me to speak Spanish fluently. 

I chuckle. "Pedro, it's a little early in the day for your pranks. So get to work. Now." I put on a stern face even though he knows I am joking. He puts his hand on his chest as if I had hurt him. We disperse to begin the day's work. 

I settle into my small office which I like to keep tidy. I switch on the old desktop computer that is begging for an update to the latest version. As long as it works properly, I will keep using it. Electronic devices are frivolities I can not afford at the moment. 

Ever since my Dad passed away and his solicitor called to inform me that I was named in the will as the manager in charge of the bakery together with my two younger sisters, Amara and Lucky, I knew I had to move back home. 

I mourned a failed marriage at the time so it seemed perfect to put aside my marital failure as Jim, my ex, had called our union and get busy. 

I have been paying off one debt after another and working hard to keep the bakery going. The thing is, my Dad's bakery, Panettone, is also the name of the mafia in my town. I keep my fingers crossed every day that the mafia business will not find its way to the bakery. 

*[The next part...](https://peakd.com/@kemmyb/panettone-ii)*

<sup> *[Image source](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1598390475281-9eb7782fb4cf?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8NTN8fGJha2VyeXxlbnwwfHwwfHw%3D&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=700&q=60)* </sup>

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