The Scottish Coffee Shop
I love the sounds of espresso machines when they steam milk.
Smells of baked bread. Yum.
Laughter.
Conversation.
The Apple laptops are open. Entrepreneurs? Students studying? Singles creating their online profile?
There’s an older lady in the corner with a notebook. She’s holding a pen and she’s actually writing in it.
The daily soup almost always has coriander and cream.
Prams and babies squeal. Prams are strollers btw, and they are parked by a few tables.
The blind man who came in off the bus right outside the window gets assisted by the barista,and she puts sugar in his coffee and helps him to sit at a table. When he is ready to leave, she assists him out the door. I look out the window and I see him waiting for the bus with his long cane. My husband whispers to me as I sip on my cappuccino, “people are amazing.”
I can hear the music now because the noise has dimmed. I look around and half the tables are empty and mama is breastfeeding.
A young couple just walked in. She wears ripped tights with her hair dyed blue. He has a shaggy “I just woke up” look. They order their coffees and strip off their jackets. They sit on tall stools facing a window to look outside on the busy street. They don’t open laptops or look awkward on a date. They hug and they kiss, they engage in conversation, and for a moment, I forget that cell phones exist. I look around and no one has a phone out. Dare I check mine?
I agree with my husband, people are amazing. People are amazing when we engage in real-life conversations without distractions. People are amazing when they passionately sip their hot mugs slowly. As they swallow, the corners of their mouths slightly lift, like as if someone were starting to draw a half-moon. People are amazing when they help others without any reward or return. People are amazing when we disconnect from screens and connect with other people and books. People are amazing when they cannot see and rely on others to help them put sugar in their coffee. People are amazing when they are vulnerable. People are amazing in a busy little coffee shop.
