Winter Hearts

A Man in Her Coffee

When the food arrived, all the boys gathered and began devouring their breakfast. She wondered if there was enough in the town to feed them three times a day a the rate they ate. Her greek coffee arrived, and it piqued their interest.

It came in a tiny cup, and was a rich dark brown and smelled heavenly. She saw Leo eyeing it curiously and gestured for him to smell it. He leaned in, that long straight nose so close to her cup, and closed his eyes as he drew in the aroma. His eyes fluttered open as he smiled. She smiled a little, taking a sip. It was still scalding hot, so she set it down and munched on her pastry.

She took her time, listening politely to the idle chatter, because she had to wait for them to finish and accompany them to the market. She was itching to go, feeling a little like an unnecessary party in the mix. Except for the few odd interactions she had had with Leo, he sat next to her in almost stony silence. Because she was so highly aware of him, and because she was trying very hard not to fangirl or be silly, she felt as if he was almost resentful of her presence.

Finally Hongbin turned to her and asked what they could do to pass the time.

She said dryly, "Skiing, visiting Delphi and Arachova, walking, eating, coffee and clubbing."

Hongbin laughed. "Oh wow, you sound so excited."

Siana smiled. "It's all exciting, but that is really all there is to do. You can also visit the nearby monastery, the olive groves, and there's a wind farm near here which is really spectacular. But that is all there is to do other than hanging out."

"Eating sounds good, let's do that everyday," said Ken.

"I've never gone skiing," said Hyuk.

"I want to visit all the historical places," said N.

"We never go clubbing, what's clubbing like here?" asked Ravi.

Siana perked up at that. She described how there was a bit of an underground scene, because of the bigger towns of Amfissa and Arachova, and the irregular influx of Athenians who liked to party after skiing. Sometimes there were raves, but she was more into hanging with her cousins and dancing.

She noticed Leo look her way when she said that. It seemed like he was about to ask her something, but thought the better of it.

Mr Joon asked if they had to book to see the various places. Siana answered that unless they wanted to book skiing lessons, even going skiing was open to anyone anytime as long as the snow and weather were good. She said that it had not been cold enough, and skiing on Mt Parnassus at the moment  was limited to the kiddie slopes in front of the resort cafe. They would have to wait for a good snowfall before they could try the skiing.

She thought of something. There was an alpine valley at the foot of the snowcap where businesses opened eateries and last pit-stops for ski gear. They offered hang-gliding and paragliding off the cliffs near there. Even watching others do it was exciting, because they would soar over the deep valley below with the sea in the distance and the sun on their backs. And even if they weren't interested in that, the mountain lamb on offer at the eateries was to die for.

If they wanted to visit the mountain sooner, they could still do things other than skiing.

N looked at Siana.

"Can you plan something for us?"

She nodded happily. This was what she was here for. She sipped the last of her coffee, being careful not to drink in the half-inch of thick coffee grounds left in the cup. She spoke to N, but it was for the benefit of Leo, since she knew he was a coffee freak.

"The greeks use their coffee to tell fortunes to each other. Usually grandmas and mothers know how to read their cups."

She swirled the "mud" around in her cup to loosen it with the little liquid left. Then she covered the cup with the upturned saucer and deftly flipped it over, letting the coffee slide down the sides. She let it sit in its saucer while the boys stared at the coffee beginning to seep out at the bottom.

"Do you believe in that sort of thing?" Hongbin asked.

"I don't think it's set in stone, but I have had some things told to me which had some truth. I like the idea of a psychic connection, which can develop between close friends. Like when you can tell what someone else is thinking, or you finish their sentences for them. Maybe that's what really happens when people read each other's cups. They're picking up vibes."

"I love that sort of stuff," said N. "What does your cup say?"

Siana shook her head. "I can't read cups."

All the boys groaned, muttering that they were hoping for a show of her talent. N picked up the cup and gingerly turned it over. Siana peered into it with him.

It just looked like mudtrails left by the tiny crabs she used to watch make their way across the muddy beach in Sabah.

"You're supposed to see things in the coffee, and also in the white cup. Where you drink is closest to you in time, and opposite is a time of either 6 hours, days or months away from now. If you see a fish, it means anxiety. If you see a cat, it means someone close to you is jealous. If you see a dog, that's a loyal friend. Lots of bubbles means lots of people and activity. That sort of thing," she smiled, a little self-conscious about it all.

N looked up, his mouth open in disbelief.

"I think I can see all of that."

"What? Where?" Hyuk took it from him and looked into it with Ken and Hongbin. they all exclaimed, pointing out where they thought they could see a cat or dog or bubbles or fish.They disagreed on what they saw, making Siana laugh.

"That's why I can't read cups. When someone tells me they see a cat and try to point it out to me, I can't see it. So, it's entirely subjective what someone sees. That's why I think it's more about a psychic connection."

"What does subjective mean?" Hyuk asked.

"When the meaning or interpretation of something is very personal rather than neutral. If it were neutral it would be objective."

Hyuk smiled, pleased to learn something new in english.

"Come on, we should go, before they pack up the markets," she said. She gestured to Affendi, who lifted his chin in acknowledgement. He brought over the bill, and she waited to see if Mr Joon would be paying, otherwise she would front the payment and they would bill them later. Sometimes guests turned up without enough cash until they could go withdraw some, so they were always prepared with some money for that purpose.

Siana didn't notice Leo pick up the abandoned cup and look into it. He turned the cup round and round, figuring he did see a fish at the bottom of the cup. He searched for other images, feeling like he could make any of the shapes look like something he wanted them to. Rather like seeing shapes in clouds. It was interesting because it was finding something hidden, but he couldn't see the point of it. Then he saw it, the face of a cat. He looked closely, and found he could not deny that it was definitely the face of a cat, and couldn't be mistaken for something else. He turned the cup to see what was near the place where she drank from.

He saw a large, dark figure of a man, looming over a small figure, which was lying prone at his feet. He felt a tingle run up the length of his arms. He put the cup down, laughing a little to himself. What, was he a fortune-teller now? He flipped it so that it was upside down.

*pic in the header shows the small jetty as seen from cafe customers at Miami. To the left of the jetty, the pebble beach