Saturday, November 27, 2010

A Cup of Coffee pt. 2

  "Good morning! Can I help you with anything?  Our coffee is freshly ground and brewed every morning.", she said in an unrehearsed tone.
  He replied with a hint of hesitation in his voice.
  "Yea, that sounds like a good way to start my day."
  His attention was else where, she could tell.  He was still finishing his fleeting visions of the robust crowd engulfed in smoke, song, and dance.
  "Is it a daydream?" as she look directly into his overted eyes.
  "Uh... sorry, it's just the counter here just made me think of another time and place."
  "I get that a lot.  Before I bought this place it was a local watering hole.  The bar was something I just couldn't part with.  I've researched the company that made it and it seems this was shipped all the way from London around the early 1920s."
  "That's really interesting. If I owned this place I would've probably had to find out where it came from to."
  "Here's your coffee.  Why not have a seat.  No sense in just standing next to the bar."
  "Good idea."
  "You know you look kinda familiar.  But I don't think I've seen you here before."
  "No, you probably haven't.  Actually I know you haven't.  This is the first time I've ever been to Torry Lake."
  He took his first sip of his black coffee and looked at her with tired eyes.  He tried to hide his weariness, but his unkept hair and wrinkled collared dress shirt reeked of a red-eye flight and a two hour drive from the airport.
  "Hmmmm... I'll think of it before you finish that cup of coffee."
She stared intently for a moment studying his face.  An uncomfortable silence fell across their little corner of the shop as he glanced up from his cup. There she stood a foot away while the corners of her mouth began to rise in heart felt recognition.  She knew why he was here.  He felt she knew.  He felt somewhat foolish but knew he couldn't leave.  He needed to see this through no matter the end result.
 

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