LVI | Coffee

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It's my first time
seeing Rowan

express

awe.

The door gives a tinkling laugh
as I hold it open for her.

She steps into
the cafe,

eyes wider than Famous Amos cookies.

The floor is tiled
black and white
like a chess board,

the tables made of thick wood,

paired with dark velvet chairs.

But through the wrought iron and glass shop-front,

it was the bookshelves
embedded
into the walls of the cafe

(obscured by tall potted plants)

that made Rowan gasp.

'What is this place?'
Her voice is hushed
even though other people are talking.

Jazz music plays in the background.

Guess she didn't see
the shop name:

WHIMSICAL COFFEE.

No one greets us
when we enter.

That's what I like about this cafe.

I let Rowan look around
like a tourist

as much as she
wants to

before pulling her
over
to a table.

As soon as we sit,

a waitress in a brown apron
appears with a menu

and a smile.

'Welcome to Whimsical Coffee.
'We serve whatever tickles your fancy.'

'I've never had
'coffee
'before,'
Rowan says.

'Really?'
The waitress beats me to it.

'You'll never be able to enjoy instant coffee
'if ours is your first.'

A wide smile.
(Too wide.)

She looks like a cheshire cat.

How long did she smile
at a mirror

to look like that today?

[Read the full story at novelconbini.com!]