Quiet Day at Corner Cafe

Here we are, back again at Corner Café. It’s earlier in the day than usual, its about noon. I came here right after church just to get some homework done. There are quite a few people in here, but it is not packed. A lot of people are just ordering and then leaving. The music is a little more upbeat, they were playing country for a little bit and it switched to some indie music, but its more upbeat than the past few weeks.

I’m sitting in the corner, kind of secluded from everyone else so I can see everyone. There are two people in front of me, a foreign man and a woman. The woman is giving the man English lessons and it is very interesting to watch. It’s not everyday that I hear someone explaining when and how to use “the” and “a” ad the difference between them. He speaks English well, but you can tell that there is definitely a language barrier. He was just talking about how where he is from, they don’t use words like “the” and “a” a lot. He also said that he had never heard “like” used so much until he moved here. I tried so hard not to laugh!

There are two new workers here today and only one person to train them, so the wait to get coffee has been pretty long. But nobody seems to mind. Everyone seems to be very “chill” and in their own little worlds. Unlike the other weeks, there are a lot of people who are here in pairs or in groups. Aside from me and one other girl studying, everyone else came with someone. We also seem to be the only ones that are studying. No one else has computers out this time, but a lot of people have their cell phones out. Even the people who came with each other, they are sitting next to each other, but they are on their phones and periodically showing each other what is on their screens.

Another thing I am noticing is that there are a lot of iced drinks going out. The weather is a little warmer than it has been the past week or so, so I think people are compensating for the heat difference by getting cold drinks. Even though it is lunch time, nobody is really getting any food items. Maybe they’re going to eat somewhere else. Maybe they already ate. Maybe… I’m just the only weird one who wants pumpkin bread!

Just about half of the people that were in here just left, so now there are about 5 people in here. The noise has went from a slight roar with a hint of music in the background to pure silence and a lot of music. There are still people coming in and out, but no one is really staying. I still have yet to see any people that I’ve seen before. Not a very productive day here at Corner Café. Maybe next time!