Coffee Shop

As I walk into the coffee shop I notice that the walls are full of different sayings, in different colors. While walking towards a table I notice a saying that my grandpa used to always say when I was little, “mas sabe el Diablo por viejo, que por Diablo.” Meaning that ‘wisdom comes with age,’ (or so I believe). As I’m looking over the menu I notice that the waitress is overwhelmed by the number of people in the room, after a few minutes she comes over introduces herself and asks what I’ll be having. With it being my first time in that coffee shop I asked her what she would recommend, I don’t think I will ever forget the way she expressed herself about the drinks and the food there. She said, “mira mija, tenemos una bebida para cada sentimiento, y una rebanada de pastel para cada pensamiento, solamente dime como te sientes y yo ago el resto.” (Look darling, we have a drink for every feeling and a slice of cake for every thought, just tell me how you’re feeling and I’ll do the rest.) As I laughed due to her response I said, “I’m feeling happy and a bit curious,” then she smiled and simply walked away.

While looking around the room trying to read all of the sayings, I notice an older couple sitting across the room, the lady was laughing with joy. As I watched them I couldn’t help but smile, they looked really happy. The waitress, Linda, comes over with a mango peach tea and a white chocolate raspberry slice of cake, she then says, “ellos son los Velasco, tienen 40 anos de casados y 20 de venir a esta cafeteria, tienen 7 hijos y aun siguen tan enamorados como el primer dia. A mi tambien me dan ternura, imaginate encontrar al amor de tu vida y estar casado con esa persona por tantos anos? Ya quisiera yo encontrar a mi principe.” (Those are the Velasco; they have been married for 40 years, have 20 years of coming to this coffee shop, and have 7 children. They’re still madly in love; imagine finding the love of your life and being married to that person for so many years? I wish I would find my prince.) As she walked away I stared at them, I couldn’t help but wonder what it’s like to find someone and be that happy with them.

While taking a sip of my tea I notice a guy sitting in the table across from me, he saw me staring and smiled, I smiled back. I noticed that he kept looking at his watch and then up at the clock that was hanging on the wall; he would pick up the menu stare at it for a few seconds and then put it down on the table. Linda goes over and asks how he’s doing, the guy, quickly responds, “oh no, I’m waiting for someone, I won’t be ordering anything yet.” Linda smiles and walks away. A few minutes pass by and his behavior is the same, stares at his watch, the clock, and then takes a quick look at the menu. I hear a loud laughter coming from across the room and I notice it’s the Velasco couple, as I smile and turn back to take a piece of my cake I notice that the guy sitting across from me is gone. I quickly look over the room, trying to search for him and nothing, he was gone. The fact that he kept anxiously staring at his watch and the clock made me wonder, had he been stood up? Or just afraid of meeting up with the person he was waiting for?