In the outskirts of the city, Harold drives down the lonely empty highway like he does every morning on his way to work. Although, it’s no ordinary morning. It’s Monday morning. To many it may seem like any ordinary day of the week, but Monday mornings are special for Harold. As he pulls into the lot at work he takes a sip of coffee and can’t help but to let out a big smile. It’s finally happening. Mika, the lovely girl who’s been stopping by every Monday morning at the bakery has agreed to join him for a pastry and coffee.

As Harold walks into the bakery he can smell the delicious morning bread being prepared in the back room ovens. How delightful that aroma is. Harold has been working at the bakery for almost a year and to this day the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries never seems to get old. Harold quickly clocks in and throws on an apron while greeting his co-workers by asking how their nights have been. After having a small chat with his work friends he strolls to the back room to grab a tray filled with a number of different delicious pastries to put out for display. Carefully with the tray in his hands, Harold walks to the front of the bakery and notices a bear claw sticking out from under a croissant on the tray. A bear claw, the very pastry Mika enjoys every Monday morning.

As Harold begins to display the pastry’s from the tray he starts to think about Mika. She’s all he’s been thinking about since last Monday when she joyfully said yes to his kind question. Never in his life has he ever felt this way about someone. The first time he saw her walk in, something inside him has never been the same. They locked eyes and gave each other a warm smile without saying a word. That very memory will always make him smile and feel noticed when all he ever though was him as invisible. As he gently places a danish on the bottom display window near the register, he hears the front door bells jingle. Harold comes up off his knees and there Mika is, smiling as bright as the sun.

Monday mornings have always been a struggle for Mika. It’s a beginning to a new week and Mondays just overall feel long and dreadful most of the time. Until one day she decided to make a stop on her way to class. School had been taking a toll on her and life just kind of felt like it was a never ending loop of class, work, and chores. Most of the time she spent out, she was by herself or taking her dog Buster out for a walk.

This particular Monday morning Mika pulled into a parking lot due to roadwork on the highway. This unfortunately made her miss her morning lecture so she decided to park and read a bit of poetry before her next class began. After flipping through a few pages in her book, Mika decided to go take a walk and ease her busy mind. She opened the car door and as soon as she stepped out, the smell of freshly baked bread hit her unexpectedly. Her stomach growled and she was instantly set on tracking down that glorious scent. She made her way to the front of a cozy rustic bakery and pulled the door open. The little bells hanging down from the doorframe jingled and she locked eyes with the young man in front of the register. Mika’s eyes twinkled and she felt her cheeks warm and blush in seconds. She walked up to the counter and asked for the only pastry she could think of in that brief moment, a bear claw.

After visiting the bakery Mika was unable to stop thinking about that young man that helped her with her order. Harold. On her second visit, she was able to read his name stitched onto his white uniform top. She began to wonder if Harold remembered her name. He had to write it down on her paper coffee cup the week prior, so she would hope he must’ve remembered. Weeks went by and every Monday they would have a bit of small talk while Harold took her order. Nothing big, just a bit of chit chat. Then one day Harold had her cup of coffee and her pastry ready right as she walked through the door. Mika blushed and smiled as he delivered it and asked her if she’d like to one day sit and have a cup of coffee with him, and a bear claw of course.