Hello everyone,
It's been a while since my last story, but I have been working on this one for some time and I'm excited to publish it at last!
Hope you enjoy it!
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In the village of Arcfield, the local bakery is owned by the Spinelli hedgehog family. Carmela Spinelli gets up bright and early in order to have their delicious, fluffy bread ready before most everyone else in town even leaves their home.
Although she sometimes finds it difficult to get up at the crack of dawn, she adores her little bakery, which stands right in the central plaza and has become a very popular spot in the village.
As she enters the building, Carmela smiles to herself. She's already thinking of all the different kinds of bread she will be making today. Baguettes, buns, bagels, loaves, breadsticks... It's all in her repertoire, and she uses all kinds of herbs, spices and other ingredients, such as cheese and garlic, and even seasonal products like pumpkin, to create different, special flavours. Every month, she works to create a different bread specialty that everyone in the village looks forward to.
She also makes sweet treats, such as croissants, pastries and her delicious melon bread, which is very popular with the children of the village.
Carmela wastes no time to start working; today, she has a special order to fill, so she wants to get her usual pieces ready as soon as possible. In no time at all, the bakery is filled with the delicious aroma of freshly-baked bread. Definitely one of Carmela's favourite smells!
She hums contentedly to herself as she works; having two children, a husband who is very much still a child at heart and her vivacious and young brother in law living at home, she appreciates these quiet times to herself. Even though she loves them all very much, Carmela has always enjoyed her time alone.
Slowly but surely, a new batch of dough already baking in the oven, Carmela starts setting her finished breads and pastries on the window display so that the children of the village will be able to see them when they come back to the village after school. She always makes some fun-shaped pieces, which they seem to appreciate.
She also takes the time to prepare some ready-to-eat sandwiches and bagels, which are usually very popular with the villagers who leave Arcfield early in the morning, haven't had time to have breakfast at home, or just feel like having a mid-morning treat.
She's just finishing setting the day's specials on the display table inside the shop when Vera Roth arrives with her baby boy, Justin.
Vera is usually the bakery's first visitor, since she and her husband Lance are the owners of the local supermarket and they have a business agreement with the Spinellis: both families have a small selection of each other's products at their respective stores. Every morning, Vera brings Carmela some fresh dairy products such as milk, butter and cheese from the supermarket and takes some of her bread to sell there in return. This deal benefits them both and makes things more convenient for their customers as well.
"Good morning, Carmela. How are you today?"
"Ah! Good morning, dear Vera". Carmela smiles warmly at both mother and child and notices that the little one is pulling a small cart. "Oh! Hi, Justin. Are you accompanying your mummy today?"
"Yes!" he replies, returning the smile innocently. "I'm helping her bring you milk!"
"He woke up at the crack of dawn today and wouldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to bring him with me" says Vera, looking at Carmella with an apologetic smile. "Sorry if we're interrupting you".
"Oh, but not at all! I'm delighted to see you both. Please, come in."
While Vera goes behind the counter to leave her products there, as she usually does, Carmela gives little Justin one of the sandwiches she just recently made.
"You have worked very hard this morning, so you deserve a treat. Here you are".
"What do we say, Justin?" asks his mother, beaming at them both.
"Thank you!"
The little one's evident happiness is adorable, and Carmela's heart melts. It feels both like an eternity ago and just yesterday that her twins were Justin's age. After having them and opening their bakery, she and Anthony were just too busy to even think about having another child.
"Thank you so much for everything, Carmela. You didn't even let me pay for Justin's sandwich!" Carrying in her basket both the bread she's taking to her store and the one she's reserving for her family, Vera is about to leave for the supermarket, where Lance must be getting ready to open up shop.
"But of course not! It's a gift, since it was such a delight to see him. He's so well behaved, Vera! Your older girl is too, of course. You're a wonderful mother".
"Oh, but you're too kind! Your children are wonderful too, you know? Livia is so full of life, and Silvio is so sweet. And they both have such good hearts. We're both blessed with wonderful children!"
"We are, indeed". Carmela smiles serenely, thinking fondly of her children.
Carmela's first actual customer of the day is, as usual, Diane Lowell. Diane adores the Spinellis' bread, and she always gets up early and rides her bike to the bakery with her youngest son, Tyler, sitting in the basket. Sometimes she's even there already, waiting, when Carmela opens the store! Diane loves riding through the forest in the morning, feeling the fresh breeze in her face. She's mellowed out a bit after having her children, but when she was younger she was often reprimanded for riding too fast and not paying enough attention to the roads!
Today, Diane's oldest son, Ryan, is also here with his mother and little brother, riding his own bike.
"Mama, down, down!"
Little Tyler is very excited; he loves coming to the bakery every morning, since Carmela always gives him some bread or a baked treat. Diane laughs as she reaches for him.
"Don't be impatient my sweet little cub, you're going to fall down! Let me get you".
The Lowells enter the bakery just as Carmela has finished putting the special order she's been working on, which is to be picked up later in the morning, in the oven.
"Oh, Diane, good morning! Hi, Tyler. Oh, and Ryan is here today as well?"
"Good morning, Carm. Yes, Ryan was feeling a bit under the weather last night, so I called doctor Rick and he advised he didn't go to school. He had a fever early in the morning but not anymore. I told him to come with us to buy our bread, that way he can get a bit of fresh air."
"Oh, poor thing. I hope you feel better soon". Carmela says, looking at the young boy with an understanding smile.
"Thank you, Mrs Spinelli" Ryan says, his voice quiet. It's not just because he's not feeling well; Carmela knows from her children that the oldest of the Lowell children is typically very quiet and reserved. She feels for him, as she knows his father is not home very often. Harvey Lowell, Diane's husband, works long hours as a hotel manager in the city, and he typically arrives home just before his son leaves for school, and is already at work when he comes back.
To cheer Ryan up, Carmela encourages the children to take a tray and pick what they need from the display. She knows the young ones usually quite enjoy the process. In the meantime, she chats with Diane, who looks as spirited and lively as usual.
"Your youngest is so big already, Di. And so cute, too!"
"Ah, thank you, isn't he though?" Diane beams at Carmela, brimming with motherly pride. "He's so full of energy now, I have to keep an eye on him at all times. But I couldn't be happier".
Carmela smiles back at her best customer and dear friend. She quite admires her; she knows that it can't be easy for her either to manage the household largely on her own, but Diane does it with ever-lasting optimism and love.
It's not much later that Carmela receives the visit of none other than Elizabeth McFarlane, the mayor's wife. She's the one that made the special order she's been working on all day, and she's here to pick it up.
"Good morning, Carmela. How are you doing?"
"Oh, hello Liz. You're here just in time, I just finished baking your order. Let me get it out of the oven really quick for you".
"Oh Carmela, it's perfect! It looks absolutely amazing! I can't believe how detailed it is!"
"I'm pleased you like it. I knew it was for a very special event, so I worked my hardest on it". Removing her gloves with a satisfied smile, Carmela looks proudly at her creation; a recreation, made of bread, of the McFarlane's house. "So, can you tell me who your special visitor is now? I'd like to know who I'm baking for, you know!"
Carmela knows that the McFarlanes are expecting a very special guest and that they're hosting a small reception for them at their home, hence their need for the special bread, but she doesn't know any more than that. Elizabeth just looks at her with a guilty smile.
"I'm so sorry, Carmela, I really can't. It's going to be a big surprise. But I promise it won't take long for you to know all about it".
Carmela smiles back at Elizabeth. "Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait then!".
Not too long after, the village children come back from school. Several of them are already hungrily looking at Carmela's breads and treats from the outside of the bakery!
Elizabeth's own daughter, Annabelle, is here, along with Coco Chocolate and best friends Cleo López and Julia Nielsen.
Cleo and Julia waste no time picking up a tray, and then they go directly toward the central display. Even though the holidays are long over, Julia, who loves them, feels drawn towards the cute bread shaped like a decorated tree. She'll share it with Cleo, who chats with her and giggles loudly as they make their choice.
As for Coco and Elizabeth, they're already at the counter. They've picked up a couple of sweet baked treats topped with cream and berries.
"It'll be my treat, Annabelle", the young boy says, smiling shyly at the mayor's daughter.
"Oh, Coco, but there's no need!".
Carmela looks at them amusedly. Ah, the sight of first love blossoming! It makes her feel quite old. Coco manages to convince Annabelle in the end, and as she thanks him with a giggle, Carmela puts an extra croissant in their bag without any of them noticing.
It has been a long, yet fun and productive work day at the bakery, and the time to close up shop is nearing. Carmela always saves a baguette to make a scrumptious sandwich for her two favourite daily visitors, who probably won't take long to arrive now.
And sure enough, just minutes later, Livia and Silvio, her twin children, open the door and enter.
"Mum!" exclaims Livia, almost yelling, a big smile on her face.
"Did you have a good day?" asks Silvio politely, standing next to his sister.
Seeing the happy faces of their children as they come back home is one of the highlights of Carmela's day.
"I'm fine, my darlings. I've fixed your snack already, let me cut it in half for you".
After closing down the bakery, Carmela goes back home to rest for a bit and get out of her work uniform and into her casual clothes before going out again.
Usually, by this time of day her husband Anthony would have arrived in the bakery and would be hogging the oven to make his pizzas, getting everything full of flour and dough again and driving her crazy. Pizza was her husband's passion, and for a long time, he had been coming to the bakery to make them during her business hours; afterwards, his younger brother Christopher would deliver them. It had been hard for Carmela to manage that inconvenient situation, so after discussing it together, and after her husband had made it clear to her that he was serious about his pizza business, the couple had decided to invest in another venue for the pizza shop. It hadn't been easy, but they had worked hard and now Anthony finally had his long-coveted pizzeria. It wasn't really a big building and they were still mostly doing take out, but it was enough for him and business was good so far.
On her way there, Carmela ran into the Hazelwood family; Basil, Karen, and their daughter Evie.
"Oh, hi Carmela!" Basil greeted her, and both Karen and Evie smiled and waved. "We have actually just finished having lunch at your pizzeria! It was delicious!".
Basil was a well-known chef in the city, so this was really good praise. Carmela smiled warmly at the family of three.
"Oh, the merit is all Anthony's, you know? But thank you so much. I hope you had a great time!".
"We sure did! We'll be back for sure".
When Carmela finally arrived at her husband's little pizzeria, she saw that Anthony was talking to Glenn Poole, who had apparently just made an order. This was not surprising to her, since she knew that Glenn's wife had just recently given birth to twins. They were a young couple, these were their first children, and from her own experience, Carmela imagined that they were both probably too tired to cook.
Anthony's face lighted up when he saw his wife, but after beaming at her he continued talking to Glenn, explaining to him that his pizza would be ready soon.
While he waited, and after noticing Carmela, Glenn turned round to speak with her. When he did that, she saw that he had one of his new-born babies with him, in the cutest fish-shaped sling. The little one was so tiny and impossibly adorable, that the thought of having another baby crossed Carmela's mind once again.
"Good afternoon, Carmela. How are you doing?" Glenn sounded and looked tired yet happy, the way most new parents do.
"Good afternoon, Glenn. I'm doing fine, just closed up the bakery. But look at this little one! So full of energy already! Is this one little Nicole or little Jack? How's Amanda doing?"
"This one's my little girl, Nicole. Amanda's doing great, thank you. Doctor Andes says she'll fully recover soon. She stayed with Jack at home while I came get the pizza". Glenn laughed a little. "I couldn't very well leave her alone with both of them!"
"You're so considerate, Glenn! I'm sure Amanda appreciates it. Enjoy the pizza!" Carmela, grinning, pointed at Glenn's back, where Anthony was waiting, already holding out his pizza for him.
"Thank you both!".
After Glenn Poole left, Anthony immediately approached Carmela to warmly embrace her and kiss her on the cheek.
"My darling wife, the most beautiful in all of Sylvania! Did you have a good day?"
"I did, my love. I'm so happy to see you, too!".
The sound of a motorbike approaching momentarily distracted the Spinelli couple, and they both waved hello to Christopher, Anthony's younger brother, that had just arrived back at the pizzeria after doing some deliveries.
"Hey there, you lovebirds!" Christopher smiled a wide, cheeky smile. "Since some of us are trying to work here, bro, how about you keep preparing the pizzas I'm supposed to deliver?"
"Coming up!" Anthony replied, laughing heartily.
As the afternoon went on, more customers arrived at the Spinellis' pizzeria. While Anthony was busy in the back taking orders on the phone, Carmela seated the Burke family at the small table they had in front of the place. Bruce and Carissa, much like the Pooles, were a young couple who had just recently welcomed little Adelaide, or Addie, as they lovingly called her, to their family. They were apparently both teachers and had plans to open a nursery school in the village.
For now, though, they were about to enjoy Anthony's delicious pizza for lunch, with a nice cold beer for Bruce and a soft drink for Carissa. The young mother held little Addie in her lap while they enjoyed their meal and this opportunity to get out of their home and spend some time together as a family.
A while after the Burkes had left, an impeccably dressed white cat with grey ears approached the pizzeria. Anthony, who had never seen him before, immediately went to address him as Carmela quietly waited inside.
"Excuse me, good sir" said the cat, with a mellifluous voice. "I have just arrived at this lovely village with my Master and his family and they're feeling a bit peckish. Could you point us in the direction of an eatery?"
"Well, you're in luck" said Anthony, laughing. "There are no restaurants proper in the village, but we serve pizza here. You and your companions can sit right here if you so wish".
"Ah, I see. Thank you, sir. Please, give me just a moment".
The mysterious cat momentarily left the Spinelli's pizza shop to address a young girl dressed in fine, expensive clothes who was watching a baby nearby.
"Young Miss, unfortunately it seems like there are no actual restaurants in the village. Nevertheless, the kind man from the shop offered to prepare pizza for us".
"What?!" exclaimed the young girl, visibly upset. "What do you mean there are no restaurants in the village? How is that EVEN possible, Clement?!".
"FATHER!" The girl then turned around to face a stoic-faced lion who had just approached them. "Clement says that there's no restaurants in this village! That we're supposed to eat PIZZA! I can't believe you actually mean for us to actually LIVE here, in the middle of nowhere!"
"..."
The lion, world-famous musician Lionel Grande, just gave his daughter an apologetic look. Clement immediately intervened with a conciliatory tone:
"Miss Tiffany, I understand that it will take you and young Miss Gilda a while to get used to this new environment, but we have already discussed this; your father only wants for you and your sister to have a normal childhood, a more relaxed lifestyle, away from the town, the fans and the press. Surely you understand that he's always thinking about your well-being?"
Back at the pizzeria, Anthony and Carmela, who had heard the whole conversation, just stared at each other wide-eyed. The renowned classic pianist, Lionel Grande, was moving into their small village of Arcfield with his family? Carmela laughed to herself as the pieces fell into place; now, that was an event worth a huge piece of bread shaped like the mayors' house! Anthony smiled and winked at her.
"Well, seems like I should probably get the oven started. Looks like I'm baking a pizza for a very prissy young miss today...!"
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The End!
I hope you enjoyed this very long story! I think it might be the longest in my blog yet. It was fun to write, though! :) I had been wanting to focus more on the Spinellis and to give more use to the bakery, a building I absolutely love.
I created the pizzeria myself using the small building I used for The Blackcurrant Bush.
Here's a couple of behind-the-scenes pictures so you can better see it.
Were you surprised by the ending? I've been meaning to have Lionel move to the Arcfield for a while now, and to introduce his family as well, so I decided to include them in this story. :)
Hope you have a lovely day. Stay safe and healthy everyone!
