People of Starbucks

And so life goes on....

Sorry I have not updated recently. I do have many stories in the works for this series and I am working on them when I can. In the meantime some of you have asked me to update some of the older stories if possible. Here are some updates I can give you. 

Ghost Girl

Jessica, as I called her, was never seen again (by me). I can only hope it was because she no longer needed time away from her abuser. I know for a fact that those situations rarely just fix themselves. She either stayed and puts up with the abuse ,had the courage to leave and survived it, or is dead. My guess is that she left and survived it. Contrary to popular belief most abusers are not stalkers. They are happy abusing anyone. Rarely is there a fixation to only torment one particular person. Where ever Jessica is I hope she got the help she needed. 

I get it wrong sometimes...

Hector is still around. I was seeing him around once a month or so, but not much recently. If you remember he was the one that I thought was greedy and pushy trying to get rich with some sort of pyramid scheme. It turned out he was just trying to raise money for expenses for his 4 year old daughter who has cancer. I recently found information about his daughter (don't ask me how) who does her treatments in Houston and she is responding well to treatment. She has an especially aggressive form of sarcoma and  the treatment has been hard on her. I got to see her, Hector, and his wife in some photos on a Facebook page for the cancer center. They look hopeful. 

 I think I think about this one the most for personal reasons. If you read "Things you don't see coming" you know that I am currently somewhat in Hector's shoes. My 4 year old grandson was diagnosed with Leukemia a couple of months back and he is undergoing some harsh treatment as I write this. It is painful for him, and for us to watch him. He is a strong and brave little boy, but treatments have taken their toll. 

She thinks she can save him...

I'm sorry to say I was right about this one. I got to see this couple a few times after I wrote about them but I think the relationship is over. I saw a mugshot of Michael on TV a couple of weeks ago along with some photos of 3 other men. They were all allegedly involved in an aggravated robbery and were all arrested. Michael most likely had an extensive record and will likely do some serious time in prison. He was undoubtedly on parole and at the time of this last arrest.

Let me make another prediction here. His girlfriend will hang on for a while. She will go to the hearings, place money in his commissary account, and give him a big kiss when he is finally sent off to prison. After that she will write every day for a month, then once a week, then maybe once a month until she doesn't write to him anymore at all. He won't like it, but it's okay because he accepts it as a fact of life. He knew she couldn't last the moment she told him she would wait for him to get out. He's secretly relieved. Maybe he did like her and wants her to find someone better. Maybe.

But she is like him also. She never learns. She will find a new project when this one is over. She is a sucker for dark souls that need saving from themselves. For the kind of guy who never learns and fights every urge to do right. She still thinks she can save them. She is still wrong.

Never waste a good cup of coffee...

Good old John. To think that if would a been a good boy and drank his coffee instead of throwing it away he would still be out there taking pictures up girls skirts. What a sicko. Believe it or not but his case is still working itself through the system. According to what little I could find out most of the charges will be dropped because, as it is often the case in this matter, almost none of the persons in the pictures he took can be identified and even he doesn't know them. Plus he never touched anybody or committed any kind of assault. The prosecutor will get him for a couple of charges of possession of child pornography and he will most likely do 2-3 years in prison and become a registered sex offender for life. That will put a big damper on his sex life. He will never be allowed to live near schools and will probably never get a job that will pay him above minimum wage. He is getting off lucky. He will learn to love the coffee in prison.

People in Glass Houses

I have not seen these guys at that or any Starbucks since this happened. I know this may not mean anything since these guys are rotated out every few months I'm sure. There are still a lot of troopers who visit Starbucks. Nearly all of them are respectful people just doing their job. What the hell got into these guys I'll never know. But this kind of crap still exists. Bullies of all kinds find themselves in the open looking for people to abuse. I am angered by them and feel sorry for them at the same time. 

They give yoga pants a bad name...

Well these girls are still around, and they are still making all of us suffer by wearing what appears to be painted on yoga pants. I just ignore them now for the most part. They still carry on and do things behind each others back. Julie is gone from group though. Good for her. Her replacement though is just another carbon copy of the other 3, yoga pants and all. They all still sit around uninterested in each other or much of anything going on around them. I still don't know what draws them together or keeps them together. It's like they don't have anywhere else to go. 

The Ugly Monster...

Terry actually came in a few more times with the group after I wrote this and she didn't look much better to me. So I got her name and her school (don't ask how) and placed an anonymous call to her school. The counselor I spoke to happen to be acquainted with her but could not give me any information (did I need any?) but said they were working with her. It seems they noticed some of the things I did or were referred to her some other way. I hope it was a parent who wants help for her daughter. She seemed hopeful that Terry would be getting the help she needed. There was not much else I could do. 

The Bad Barista....

Well, I knew I was not going to see this guy here again. And I didn't, at least not as an employee. It looks like David got off easy. My guess is he just got let go and they left it at that. He does show up once in a while and talk to his old buddies behind the coffee bar. Though he stays away from the manager who gives him ugly looks. He is still shows signs of being an addict. 

Finding Home...

As I guessed Jessie never called my friend who offers assistance for the homeless. I think he still doesn't feel like he needs the help. I have not seen him since I wrote about them but my guess is he is still around. He is still staying with friends once in a while and on the street the other times. Who knows? Maybe he got a job and someone helped him out. I hope he is doing well.

Things you don't see coming....

As I mentioned earlier Andre is having a hard time with his cancer treatment. Yes he is a strong boy, but the extended stays at the hospital have traumatized him. As he puts it "I just want to go home and play with my toys". If you get a chance go by his Facebook page (Team Andre) and just say hello. He gets a kick out of seeing his pics and the names of people he doesn't know wishing him well. You can go the link https://www.facebook.com/Andredevaughnjeanlewis or just search for "Team Andre" in the search bar . I have started a fundraising site for him there also. His mother had to quit her job to take care of him full time and expenses are piling up. No need to donate unless you feel the urge. Stop by and say hello if you can. He would think it cool if you did. 

I can't imagine having a broken heart, but if I do it will be because of this. I just want to get back with my little Andre, drinking coffee and watching people at Starbucks. Chasing dinosaurs and ninja turtles and wondering about the lives of others not so lucky as we were. 

But here we are...one of the people of Starbucks too, living out our story. 

And so life goes on...