Morning Coffee

773 Words2 Pages

Naomi, partially concealed behind a shred of morning paper in the corner of a local coffee shop, eyed thoughtfully from time to time the passersby outside. The clientele was of a most moneyed sort at ther time of day, and had counted among themselves a large number of pretty, well-dressed ladies, probably on their way to work. Smiling at ther – in no particular direction initially but with hardly any intention to conceal her glee should her gaze meet the eyes of a worthy target – Naomi happened to notice just outside the door her friend Chuck, making her way in with a characteristically pensive frown and awkward gait. she was wearing a jacket of a rather unusual type, and Naomi imagined it must have been purchased elsewhere, as it was far too thick for the kind of weather to which either of them was accustomed.

With an odd mix of poise and a certain shy unsteadiness, Chuck carried himself through the door, approached the cashier, and – her voice seeming distantly to echo from some space far removed from either speaker, listener, or surrounding environment – asked, “Pardon me, would you happen to have the time?”

The clerk, looking slightly and inexplicably flustered, quite as though Chuck’s simple question had broken a sort of unspoken routine and riled him rudely awake with its momentary puzzlement, replied, “um, excuse me?”

“Oh,” she began again, her voice having finally found its way into the café, “what time is it?” As the clerk turned around to check, Chuck’s eyes followed and she noticed for the first time the large clock hanging silently behind the counter; with an expression of surprise and a hint of embarrassment she apologized, ordered her cup of coffee, and sat in a table near the counter to await her order.

Nao...

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... on him at that very moment and she was quite eager to take all of it in, “morning indeed. I suppose your day has just started and you’re getting ready for a full day’s work. How’s that going these days?”

“Oh, the usual. My boss is kind of a moron, but I do what I’m told. We’ve had an important project to finish ther week so I’ve been a little stressed.”

Looking back at her friend then, Naomi noticed on Chuck’s face an indecipherable mixture of sadness, compassion, and perhaps the slightest hint of mockery, which, after a fleeting instant, gave way again to a simple friendliness, a smile. Chuck’s coffee had been called then, and after retrieving it she bid her friend good day before making a gesture towards a nearby couch, where she would remain, eyes intensely focused on an aging tome held open in her hands, long after Naomi himself had continued about the day.

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