Cafe Sunrise

 I was laying in bed as was the accepted norm of anyone after sundown. I looked at the clock, a black box with green numbers reading the time to me. 2:30.

"Time to go," I said to myself.

I rose from bed, slipped my feet in a pair of shoes, and walked outside, grabbing my keys on the way out. I left the door of my apartment and went down into the parking lot and I got into my car. I drove a mile or so from my house until I reached a cafe.

"Sunrise". That was the name of the cafe. I went and sat down on the table farthest from the door. On it were three cups of coffee. One with the name "Jane" another with the name "Jack" and the final with the name "Rich". I reached for the latter and began to drink from it.

"Remember, Jane this was normal, every night," I smiled.

I became lost to my thoughts.

It was a few years ago, I met an older man in a bookstore. He was twenty years older than me but didn't show it. He had a kindly smile. He would treat everyone with a kindness unheard of by anyone. When I met him it was rather late, the store was just about to close.

We began talking, first about books, then about so many other topics. Economics, Science, really anything that interested us.

He showed me to a cafe that he owned, he name it Sunrise because it symbolized a new start to his life. The sunrise after a long night.

We would talk here every night, after closing. Our conversations could continue for hours. We never ran out of anything to say. One night he told me about a daughter of his. He talked about how she only felt comfortable at night, it was quiet and void of everyone. Only her, her thoughts and nothing else.

He offered to introduce her when I next came to visit, I gladly accepted. So one night she was there with us, talking as if she was always part of our group. We would continue on this path for the next two years, always talking, and acting as if we had known each other for all our lives.

On few, but pleasant, occasions, we would do something else, see a movie eat at a fancy restaurant or walk in the park. It was perfect, just the three of us, old friends. That was until they left for Dallas, on a trip to see their family.

They made it to Dallas, but on the way back... the plane went down. Killing all but one. I was devastated and so was everyone who had knew them. The man's son had come down to continue his dad's work at the cafe. One day when he saw me just sitting and staring out he became quite angry until I told him my reason.

From that day forward he has left coffee out for all of us, and I sit out here. And when I eventually join them, I know we will do the same.

I look to the other cups, "It won't be long. Just hang on for a little while longer," I smile sadly as I stood up and left for home.