My hour
at the cafe begins with a nod and a smile from a random person that just got
their beverage and exited the coffee shop. For a moment I thought I may have
known the person but I believe he just looked like someone I knew. Nonetheless,
I nodded and smiled back.
Around environments like the cafe you see this
behavior a lot. Of people just genuinely being nice people by holding doors
open or smiling at you even if you are complete strangers. On the other hand
there are people who do not like to show kindness whatsoever in their daily
interactions. There was a new barista working today that I had never seen
before. She seemed nice and spoke with a high pitched voice, almost nervous
sounding. She did not have the same degree of customer service and kindness as
the other baristas but for a new worker she was very pleasant. When I think
about it, kindness is very important in this atmosphere because you want your
customers to be in a happy environment and want to come back. Friendliness no
matter the circumstance is generally practiced. I can see by my frequent visits
that the staff is very friendly and so this reflects positively on their
customer base. I often see many "regulars" come in and leave when I'm
here such as the man in the suit that likes to read the newspaper.
It is
later in the day and there isnt too much activity inside so I decide to find a
table on the patio. There is a young woman perhaps in her late twenties sitting
across from me. She has books and papers spread out across the whole table. Her
messenger bag rests beside her feet next to a helmet (I presume she road her
bike here). She is reading quite a large book while resting her feet on the
chair opposite of her with her shoes off. I think she feels this comfortable
because there arent alot of people outside. Just her, me, and an elderly couple
sitting on the other side. I imagine if there were people sitting around her
she would probably have her shoes on. Occasionally she bring her phone into the view
of her face and pauses reading to send a text message. A few times she would
smile and let out a small chuckle at what she was looking at.
One of
the baristas has come outside to clean the tables. There was a small mess left
by the last group that sat at a table. They had left their drinks, plates and
napkins sitting there. Not until now have I realized that there are no trash cans
outside and I do not remember there being one inside. I usually get a drink and
don't finish it by the time Ieave so I bring it back to my abode. This is
unsual of a cafe. The staff is starting to stack the chairs indicating that
closing time is almost here.
A song called
"Electric Eyes" starting playing over head that made me reminisce and
become sad. The girl reading the large book who sat across from me may have
noticed as she looked over. I'm embarrassed. There is not much activity going on so after another
20 minutes of feeling like shit I decide to leave.
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