Excerpt
andlt;bandgt;andlt;bandgt;Chapter Oneandlt;/bandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;My dear if you could give me a cup of tea to clear my muddle of a head I should better understand your affairs.and#8221; and#8212;CHARLES DICKENS, MRS. LIRRIPERand#8217;S LEGACYandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Thereand#8217;s a right way and a wrong way to do many things, and when it comes to tea, my opinion is one should not mess around. My grandmother Louisa first taught me to brew a fine pot of tea when I was five years old. She told me what a nice job I had done, and I announced I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. Louisa laughed merrily at the time. I hoped she wouldnand#8217;t laugh today. I couldnand#8217;t bear the thought of being laughed at today, which is why I, Annie Green, am hiding out in the storage room of the Steeping Leaf.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Well, not andlt;iandgt;hidingandlt;/iandgt; exactly. That would be silly. I love the Leaf, and there isnand#8217;t anything out there to hide from, least of all my grandmother Louisa. But the fact of the matter is I am here in her teashop, she doesnand#8217;t know it yet, and the reason for all my sneaking around is I need to psych myself up for what I am about to do.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;You know how some people have weird/cool talents, like being able to wiggle their ears back and forth just by concentrating really hard? Well, I have one too. I can stand on my head forever. Like, seriously forever. My two brothers can even try to tickle my feet to knock me over, and I just make faces at them, upside down, secure in the knowledge that I am just as steady on my head as they are on their feet. Which isnand#8217;t, come to think of it, as steady as, say, andlt;iandgt;Louisaandlt;/iandgt; is on her feet, but itand#8217;s pretty darn good. And as a bonus, when I stand on my head, I can feel myself getting smarter and calmer. I think it has something to do with the fact that a headstand is a real yoga pose.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;With two younger brothers and an older sister, itand#8217;s hard to ever find even half a moment alone. And the silence of the storage room is blissful. Itand#8217;s just me, upside down and Zenlike amidst a few dozen boxes of loose tea, some old teacups Louisa hasnand#8217;t taken to St. Vinnyand#8217;s yet, and my and#8220;Perfect Cup of Tea Instructions,and#8221; which Iand#8217;ve written on a whiteboard that, for readabilityand#8217;s sake, has also assumed the sirsha-asana pose.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I am almost ready to ask for a job here as a barista. And when I do, I will be calm, centered, grown-up, and only andlt;iandgt;slightlyandlt;/iandgt; red in the face. I am a tiny bit worried because sometimes my family doesnand#8217;t take me seriously. Everyone else in my family already has their and#8220;thingand#8221;and#8212;Beth is all and#8220;college, college, college and#8230; did I mention that Iand#8217;m going away to college in the fall?and#8221; and Luke and Billy have the lock on the local emergency roomand#8212;skateboarders, itand#8217;s like they have a death wish or something. My mom has her students, and my dad has his engineering projects. And I have tea.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Okay, Iand#8217;ll admit, Iand#8217;m interested in a lot of things and I tend to announce my newest obsessions rather frequentlyand#8212;but working at the Leaf is not just a phase. Iand#8217;ve always loved the Leaf and confess that I consider it partly, well, mine. Am I ready to be a barista, taking money, making complex foamy drinks, and asking after the customersand#8217; families like the perfect hostess? I think so. I hope Louisa does, too.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Still staring at the board and mentally picturing each and every step of brewing a pot of tea, I sighed happily and closed my eyes to fully commune with the delicious smells of the shop. Inhale. Exhale. and#8220;I am one with the tea. The tea is one with me. I am one with the tand#8212;and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The storage door banged and there was some commotion. My eyes snapped open, but all I could see was a pair of legs in jeans. And a box. A really big box. A really big box coming straight at me. and#8220;Hey, watch out!and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Instead of changing course however, the startled jeans-wearer swung the box around. Right into me. and#8220;AUGHH!and#8221; he cried, tripping a little and juggling the box. It was definitely a andlt;iandgt;heandlt;/iandgt;, I thought as I tumbled over, directly into a precarious stack of napkins, tea samples, and the shelf with the old cups. andlt;iandgt;CRASH!andlt;/iandgt; went one cup. Then, andlt;iandgt;CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!andlt;/iandgt; came three more. Ouch.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The napkins flew everywhere, and some of the samples burst open, sending leaves and particles of rosehips, chamomile, orange spice, and white tea every which way. I stared at the intruder from the corner where I was sprawled out, confused. I thought Louisa was the only one who ever came in here. Well, and me, of course. andlt;iandgt;CRASH!andlt;/iandgt; One more cup slid to the ground.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The intruder set his box down andlt;iandgt;veeeryandlt;/iandgt; slowly and righted the shelf I had tipped. I was just about to sputter something extremely non-Zenlike when the words got tangled up in my tongue. My scowl fully retreated as my eyes widened. Why hadnand#8217;t I seen him before? It occurred to me that most girls could go a whole andlt;iandgt;lifeandlt;/iandgt; time of seeing strange boys in teashops (grocery stores, movie theaters, stadiums and#8230; you get the idea) and not lay eyes on someone so perfectly gorgeous.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;What were you andlt;iandgt;doandlt;/iandgt; ing?and#8221; he asked, offering me a hand up. I took it slowly, my stomach flipping.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;I and#8230; I and#8230;and#8221; Apparently, I could no longer speak. Great.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;He cocked his head expectantly. I stared. And stared. And stared. Finally I said the first and best thing that came to mind. and#8220;I was standing on my head. I do that.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;I do that.andlt;/iandgt; Wow. Smooth. I could feel my face reddening.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;Oh.and#8221; He looked at me as if I were some amusingand#8212;yet potentially derangedand#8212;creature from another planet. and#8220;Why?and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I didnand#8217;t get the chance to reply because the door to the main shop opened again and Louisa came hurrying into the room, her scarves flowing luxuriantly behind her.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;What on earth? Is everything all right? Annie, my sweetness! What are you doing here?and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Just when you think your face canand#8217;t get any redder, know this:andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;It can.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#169; 2008 Laura Schaefer