COFFEE SHOP

 

 

I've been heading to Piri Coffee Shop frequently now to bask myself from school. It's been a tiring week of trying to meet the deadlines and now, preparing for the College Entrance Examination.

Everyday till midnight, till the coffee shop closes.

The ambience of the coffee shop is kind of cold, touch of neural tone vintage interior, with a part timer who uses a Flannel drip coffee maker, which happens to be made with wonderful latte art. Fairy lights hanging atop of the unique hanging shelf full of coffee beans in a jar. An electric guitar standing beside the counter.

Smiling as usual like it's a part of his job, he didn't ask me what my coffee was but he served it right away with a creative latte art. Again. Like usual.

I sat down on my favorite part of the coffee shop, beside the bookshelf, at the corner of the four walled coffee shop. It's quiet. It's near the counter. Yet the view outside the glass door is visible. The coffee shop is famous for its book trading. People can bring a book in and trade it for another. It's a cycle for bookworms.

It's one book after another. Papers with highlighted notes scattered in my table everyday. Empty pens but notebooks full of letters and numbers. A stack of notes I made to study for the upcoming storm. Got no time to waste because the CEE is upcoming in four weeks.

He sat in front of me and uttered no words. He just stared at my notes, touched and read some of them while no customer is waiting at the counter. Sitting with his legs crossed while immersed in reading. He's always got a time to rummage around my notes when he has nothing to do in the coffee shop. While the tables are clean, couples are talking and old people are reading today's newspaper. He'd wave my papers in front of my eyes and throw it carefully on my table when a customer is on the counter.

Everyday, for months, in the same coffee shop.

 

 

 

--

 

 

Monday midnight. The shop was crowded from morning to now. I didn't get to sit on my favorite spot but instead I took a table on the side of the transparent glass wall. Lamps faintly lighting the sidewalk while people are rushing home on a Monday mightnight.

The coffee shop is closing, only half of the lights are lit. The smell of coffee is leaving as Jae cleans the counter top and the utensils. The kitchen staff leaving one by one, leaving him with cleaning. He quietly hummed along the low volume music as he puts the chairs on the table upside down, wiping them first.  

He turned the Open sign to Close. Officially closing the store. 

I'm organizing my notes, getting ready to leave. Stacking the papers on the side while unplugging my phone charger on the floor socket. Opening my bag and shoved half of the stacks to lessen what I would carry in my arms.

He sat on the chair quietly accross me while heaving a sigh and picked up one of my notes that was left on the table.  His legs stretched out lazily, one arm on the backrest and looked at the notes holding it with both of his hands. He read it for awhile and looked serious.

I asked him, "Don't you have exams upcoming? I mean, for the college?". He put the notes back with a chuckle before changing his position to putting his face on his hands while his elbow is leaning on the table. Legs crossed. As if he was examining my soul through my eyes. What is he thinking? He just let out a small smile and  rested his back on the glass wall and crossed his arm before closing his eyes, his long legs stretched out accross the floor. His smile fading as he, I guess, falling asleep.  Leaving my questions unanswered. 

He always seemed annoyed with the number of notes in my table. A feeling I assure myself is mutual. He'd always rummage around my notes, reading it in a minute or two before putting it back where he picked it up. It annoys me especially when he waves the notes in front of my eyes, seems mocking and calling me a nerd without uttering any word. Maybe he never had anything better to do and I was just a frequent customer who never asked for a Latte but always get served one. Maybe it's like a cycle for him. Maybe for me too.  

He seems to be a weird guy to start with but his lightly tattered jeans and Vans Old Skool says otherwise.

I only ordered Latte at first, once, and the next day and days after that, he never asked what I would like to have. He would just assume I liked a Latte drink with my usual papers in arms and bag hanging in my shoulders. It became an everyday cycle and routine for me and him. 

He seems popular around the block. A reason why a lot of the customers are mostly teens with raging hormones crushing on him. I see otherwise. I see an annoying blockhead who only has an interest for latte art and my notes.

I examined his face and he seems really tired. There was a flock of customers today because of the nearby school festival. The cafe was full of teenagers talking loudly about this and that senior.  

Jae.

That's what it says in his nameplate. I never called him by his name or never interacted with him unless I stand across him on the counter or when he comes to my table when the counter is dead in the middle of the day. Or at night when I'm organizing my papers, preparing to leave, just like now. 

The glass door automatically opened and a step closer outside the door, I looked at him one last time in dismay while thinking how dare he really fall asleep like that. 

 

 

 

--

 

Another week passed by and it's Wednesday again when I noticed another guy was in the counter for the past few days. It wasn't the guy who wore the usual black button down shirt, light tattered jeans and Vans old Skool. It was a guy who wears a white shirt and simple jeans with Puma shoes. He looked at me with a dead face as I looked at him questionably. I stood there blankly while waiting for him to make my drink.

"May I take your order please?"

I was taken aback by the question because after months of drinking just Latte, I can order something else. I almost forgot that an employee must ask a customer what she wants and not just make the drink.  The feeling of hearing the new part timer ask me what I wanted felt surreal at first but it felt like I knew nothing but Jae's Latte and creative hands.

"One Latte, please." 

He called my name and gave me my drink with a cold stare and turned his back on me as soon as I got my drink in my hands. It wasn't served with a warm smile. I noticed the guitar beside the counter is gone too.

It wasn't creative. It was the usual Rosetta any coffee shop part timers can make. It's not something Jae would give his customers. It wasn't made with passion like Jae did. And even if the drink was hot… it felt cold. The coffee shop's usual teenager visitors are not present for days already. Only the old people who liked the vintage feeling of the coffee shop stayed and still reading their today's newspaper. Some adults who seemed to enjoy their basic drinks served by a part timer who didn't like his job. And women who seemed to enjoy their brewed coffee while off of work. 

Usual of me, I sat in the corner beside the bookshelf with my notes scattered on the table, empty used pens and highlighters. I kept my guard up because maybe, someone will pick up my notes again and read it as if they learned something new today. To my disappointment, at the end of the day, no one did. Nobody bothered me. The part timer just shooed me away like a stray cat. "It's closing time. Please leave."

A day without someone waving my notes in front of my eyes. A day without someone who stares at me with annoyance. Few customers on a Wednesday. Everything is unusual. From quiet mornings to cold customer service. It just... wasn't the same

Spring passed by and it's gotten much colder. No sight of him for a week. No sign of him. 

Fall is coming and Jae brought spring with him.

 

 

 

--

 

The examinations is done today.

I was a little late but it felt like nothing changed in the coffee shop. It was the same boring part timer who served cold stare with the same boring Rosetta he made nonchalantly. It was the same couple from yesterday and the other day. The same old people who came to read today's news paper. Same working people who seemed to enjoy their brewed coffee. Some new people who came because of the ending of examinations.  

"May I take your order please?"

"One.. Latte. Oh no, I'd like a Coffee Jelly Frappe.", I smiled at him confidently while waiting for my drink.

I brought my friends over and ordered something new to celebrate the aftermath of examinations. I felt like it's time to change things up because my cramming is over. The entrance exams are over. And so if my waiting of him. The days are becoming colder too as Fall comes home. Different colours of leaves on the sidewalk. People are dressing more warmly. 

I wore something different today to commemorate myself for believing I did well with my exams. Instead of the usual Adidas track pants and Adidas Duramo shoes, I went for a black pants and learned to love Vans Old Skool shoes. Didn't bring any notes but just my small messenger bag that I put on the table to fill the empty space. My phone and coat beside it. It's a usual day, just with my friends who left after hours of filling the café with small laughs and big stories to tell about our preparation for the exams.

One by one they left. The night has come and becoming more cold. More couples are coming to the cafe as the night falls to warm up with coffee while telling stories about their childhood experience of the upcoming winter. And I was left alone. 

Reaching for a book in the bookshelf and wanted my Coffee Latte with boring Rosetta art back and Blueberry Cheesecake to fill my night. Served right away by the cold- part timer while immersed from reading a book. 

I saw a hand took my untouched drink and looked at him in surprise.

"What is this? Latte art by peasants?!", he said with the same annoyance I haven't seen in a while. The mocking face he made made my lips escape a smile. His soft caramel newly dyed hair. Pale smooth skin. Wearing a black turtleneck and plaided long coat, black jeans and the shoes I learned to love. A leather guitar case sitting beside him, which I guess, was what has been missing beside the counter. 

"Hi."

And gave me back the warm smile I wanted to see for so long.

He grabbed my phone and puched in his number, "I haven't been able to do this because of company policy... And why don't you have a password?". I couldn't utter a word. I just answered with a smile. "It's almost closing time, Ma'am. Exams are over. No reason to stay in 'till midnight."

He held my hand, grabbed his guitar and hung it on his shoulders while I grab my coat and bag. I saw him nod to the part timer and I saw the cold- guy smile for the first time as he nods back. 

 

We stepped out of the coffee shop, holding hands inside his pocket while the cold night falls.  Still in disbelief that he brought Spring in my heart in the middle of the Fall. 

He came back.