Coffee Grinded Dreams

Chapter One

Fear is nothing more than an obstacle that stands in the way of progress. In overcoming our fears we can move forward and become stronger and wiser within ourselves. When I was 17, I was diagnosed with anxiety and I felt as if my life was built up of terror. My mother always told me that facing my fears was the first step to building a better character for myself but when I did, my whole life turned to upside down within a matter of weeks.

September 17 2012 was the day it all began. I stepped foot into St. Jude's coffee shop, shut the door behind me and locked in the chill of the cold fall day outside. I am welcomed by a warm blanket of air that enveloped me in the rich aromas of fresh coffee and baked goods. There are various works of art scattered all over the walls in the dimmed lighting. There is a man sitting in the far corner, coffee in one hand and newspaper in the other. There is also a group of older women who are chatting happily amongst themselves as they crochet. They smile as I walk towards the counter nodding their hellos.

"Welcome, what can I get you?" The smiling rosy red cheeks cashier asked. I took a gulp and then timidly replied, "I'm here for a job interview?"

The sweet women at the counter scrunched her eyebrows and cupped her ears as if telling me to speak up.

"A job interview." I restated, scratching the back of my neck. The lady, who I presumed was Justine from her name tag, started searching through a ragged journal. "Oh you must be August Rivers," she smiled, "right this way!"

I followed her down a vague hallway that consisted of blue carpet with maroon running through it that tied the whole country scene together. I pulled at the ends of my sleeves while the women told me to take a seat in one of the comfortable padded seats.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. The agitation flooded through my veins sending shivers down my spine.

As I waited to be called in for my interview I popped in an ear bud and put some of my favorite classics on shuffle. I Can't Quit you by Led Zeppelin quickly started to blast through my headphones. As a child I would always search through my fathers notebooks to try and find a blank sheet of paper. I remember taking one of his empty cookbooks and hiding it under my bed. When I was feeling down or I just wanted to ignore the world around me, I would turn on music and just let my pencil wander on the blank piece of paper that was full of potential. The music coursed through my blood and sent signals of mixed emotions through all of my body, a feeling I only experienced while listening to music.

''Ms. Rivers!'' I woke up to the shouting of an old man. I slowly began to open my eyes to see the owner of the coffee shop glaring down at me with a confused look painted on his face.

''You are aware that this is a job interview, not a hotel.'' He said while gritting his teeth.

I jumped out of the chair and made my way to his office, making sure not to make any noise. Wasn't this going lovely so far?