Peace, Love, and Coffee

There wasn’t a minute that went by without the sound of coffee machines and grinders, or the sound of milk becoming frothed. Every time the door opened with a batch of new coffee-holics, it made a creaking sound loud enough to disturb you from your thoughts. This is the type of place you’d spend two minutes in and smell like coffee for the rest of the day. It was a place where people could become lost in time within a deep conversation, a book, or a project. This was Starbucks.

The baristas greeted customers young and old with a smile on their faces and used different punch lines to find out what people wanted to order. While you stand at the counter trying to figure out what to order, a striking picture of the goddess Starbucks demands attention. She received a full section of chalkboard for her face, and what she may be trying to tell you is: “History by the cup. Here’s to you.” Surrounding her are coffees, frappuccinos, cappuccinos, espressos, teas and of course the goodies with all the new specials.  “Try our new raspberry cake pops!” At the far ends of the chalkboards, two metal maroon mermaids appear to be worshipping their goddess, and beckoning for you to do the same, or at least to enjoy the coffee.

Orange tear-drop light fixtures hang above the area where people can pick up their coffee, making the spot difficult to miss.  The rest of the café was loaded with comfortable red and blue armchairs, and circular and rectangular wooden tables with matching chairs. Lined up along the walls are wooden bookcases, but instead of holding books, they held bags of coffee beans decorated in the white and green of the Starbucks label.

Indie music plays quietly in the background, barely audible among the hustle and bustle of people and machine, but just enough to help create a comfortable environment.  Businessmen and students claim the tables with their Macbooks and notes. Adults and teens settle themselves into armchairs with a book or newspaper in one hand, and a cup of steaming coffee in the other. Time seems to become obsolete for the people here. They would talk, read, or work all day in Starbucks if they could.

“And this is the train,” a young woman, maybe 26-years-old, with short brown hair said to her

companion. She was smiling and holding up her iPhone pointing to what was presumably a

picture.

“Oh, yes, that’s beautiful!” said a blonde woman old enough to be her mother.

“It’s not too long though, because it’ll be summer.”

“I’m so excited to see you in it.”

“So you want to save the date?”

“Yes!”

“July 21, and Jim is of course invited, don’t worry,” the brown haired woman put her phone

down, her eyes sparkled, and she was eager to say more.

As the day grew longer, the baristas seemed to be itching for a break. They no longer smiled, and just repeated the same phrase like a robot that has been programmed.

“Hi, what can I get you? Anything else? That’ll be $7 odd. Want your receipt?”

People ran into one another on more than one occasion. In cases where conversations were interrupted the pair seemed displeased to receive a third wheel. Their greetings said, “Pleased to see you,” but their tone said, “Please, go away.”

Winter coats appeared to be something of the past. People wore sweaters, hoodies, or no jacket at all and just short sleeves, and men were sporting button downs. The sole exception was one Asian girl who wore thick blue and pink snowflake stockings with knee-high fur lined leather boots, and to top it off, a gray down-feather winter coat.

Several college students hung out in the front of the café with their Macbooks and netbooks. Not once, but twice these college students got up for more coffee wearing sweat pants, and in some cases looking as if they had just awakened or pulled an all-nighter. Behind them, hanging from the windows were ball-shaped sunflowers. Window stickers went all the way across the store front, which supported the new Blonde coffee blend. The stickers were beige and brown polka dots, and yellow swirly lines.

The young woman speaking of marriage got up and hugged her companion good bye. A different and older woman took her seat. Another deep conversation ensued.

Written: 5 March 2012