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Coffe Place
Everybody knows I love going there, as often as I can.
They serve the best coffee in town, and I didn’t even liked coffee before I started going there. The first time I went there, was because a friend of mine made me. I was around that block and on my way to see her, and she said she really wanted a coffee from that place in particular, and as the good friend I am, I went in and ordered for her. Turns out there was this promotion, two coffees for the price of one. I decided to take it, thinking that I could give both of the coffees to my friend.
I got stuck on traffic for an hour after that. I was really hungry and had nothing on my car but the coffees and some cigarettes. The cigarettes were also my friend’s, I didn’t really liked smoking. It was already 2 P.M and I haven’t eaten since the morning, and my friend used to tell me that cigarettes took away the hunger, so I got one out and lighted it up. I pulled the windows down and started smoking in the car, in the middle of the traffic. She also said that coffee was the best partner of a cigarette, so I started drinking one of the coffees while smoking. Smoke, sip, smoke, sip. And the hunger was gone.
I realized I enjoyed the coffee a lot after that. The smoking, not so much.
The coffee place was just on my way to school, so I started going every morning. There were always the same two workers, a female and a male. The male took orders, and the female prepared them. I started going so often, they began to call me by my name every time I came in. I learned their names too, Joseph and Ana.
After a couple of weeks, Joseph had my coffee ready as soon as I came in, he prepared it every morning, knowing I was going to be there to pick it up. As time went by, he started writing random notes on my cup of coffee, “Have a nice day”, and sometimes “you look lovely today”.
I guess I should’ve seen it coming. But when Joseph asked me out, I really didn’t knew what to say. He was already graduated and I was just studying. But I guess I kinda liked him, I was so used to see him everyday.
Everything was going fine. We started messaging soon after that. I didn’t had him on social media, he said he didn’t really liked using them. But we talked almost everyday, and we saw each other every morning. He actually got to meet my friends, but I didn’t got to meet any of his friends yet. I thought it was kinda weird, but I let it pass, thinking I was exaggerating.
Besides, the age gap wasn’t so big. He was only 5 years older than me, and at our age, it didn’t seem to be so much difference. It turns out he actually owned the coffee place. After a couple of weeks going out he told me the first time I came in he was just covering the morning shift as a favor to one of his workers. After I started coming everyday, he decided to start his day by working at the coffee place and then actually going to his other job. I thought he was so sweet.
One day, he asked me out for dinner. We were supposed to meet at a restaurant on the center of the city, kinda away from where we both lived. Just an hour before we were supposed to meet, he texted me to cancel, since he had an emergency. I was already ready, so I decided to go to have dinner with a friend, to the same place Joseph had suggested.
As I arrived to the restaurant, I saw a man standing in front of me. He was with a woman. They were both giving their backs to me and my friend. They were also waiting for a table, I thought. I walked over them without looking, and told the waitress I had a reservation under Joseph’s name.
“That’s our reservation” said the woman behind me.
I turned and looked at Joseph. I can’t describe the look on his face.
“Alice” he greeted me.
“You two know each other?” said the woman. “A pleasure. I’m Cathy, Joseph’s wife.”
