Petunia's Tea and Cake Shop

Luke and his dog Petunia walked for several blocks, just taking in the fresh air. After being confined to a ship for the past few weeks on his travels from his home country of Australia to New York City, he was more than happy to be back on land - and so was his dog.

“Petunia!” He shouted after her as she ran into a park. Luckily, she flopped onto the ground and rolled around in the grass - something she’d missed on their boat ride. “I know, I know, but we have to find Calum first. He says he has a place set aside for us - somewhere we can finally set up a shop!”

Luke grinned at his dog and ruffled her ears, but he knew she didn’t return the same enthusiasm for his dream of running a tea and cake shop - even though he wanted to name it after her. Once she was done stretching, Luke grabbed Petunia’s leash and they continued on. He read over Calum’s latest letter again, and headed in the direction of the address he listed. Yet, the further they got into the city, he wondered if this was the right spot for him and his shop.

“Well, I think this is it, but…” Luke set down his suitcase and looked up at the building they had stopped in front of. It looked to be in good enough shape, but the neighborhood he was in did not seem like the kind of place looking for a tea shop - at least not the type he was hoping to run. He looked through the window into the unused shop, and squinted up at the apartment above for any signs of life. “Calum said he’d be here, but maybe this is the wrong spot?”

Petunia barked at an approaching person and startled Luke. “Woah, hey, it’s just me…” The oncoming man said and held his hands up, yet his manner was easy going as he smiled at Luke.

Luke cocked his head and eyed him as he came closer. “C-Calum?” He offered, though the Calum he had known back in Australia would never dress like that.

“Yeah, don’t you recognize me?” Calum laughed and shook hands with the bewildered Luke.

“I...I guess it really is you! You’re just so much...taller,” he looked the other man up and down, bemused at the differences two years could take on a person.

“Well, you’re a inch or two taller yourself,” Calum retorted. “Though, I can’t say you’ve changed much other than that.” He looked over Luke’s humble attire, and it was clear he had saved up money for this trip by not buying new clothes - ever.

“It’s been a long voyage, would you mind if we popped inside to see the rooms?” Luke asked and picked up his suitcase.

“No problem,” Calum said, and fished the keys out of his pocket. Flicking on a light, the small shop illuminated to show a counter, a space for a few tables, and some shelves for merchandise along the back. While Luke looked around the place in amazement, Calum went behind the counter to show him something.

“If you think that is nice, wait until you see what this does,” he grinned, and once he had Luke’s attention, he lifted a lever, which triggered a hidden door to open. Suddenly, there was a staircase behind the counter that led down into what must have been a basement.

“Is that for storage?” Luke asked in confusion.

“No, even better,” Calum smirked. “A speakeasy.”