Imperfect Pieces

1. coffeemaker

dedicated to erin because she was one of my first readers and is now one my dearest online friend <3

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6:00 am

The old coffeemaker sat on the wooden counter, waiting for someone to turn it on. The coffee shop was quiet, but it was soon interrupted by the sound of a key clicking into the lock. A plump old lady walked through the door, humming a cheerful tune as she placed all her grocery bag behind the counter and switched on the coffee maker. The coffee maker rumbled, burbled and shakily came to life.

The old machine itself was pretty much just a pile of junk. It had wires sticking out and there were more than a few scratches on its metal body. It watched as the quaint little shop on the corner of the street slowly began to bustle with life. Belinda wiped the coffeemaker with a damp cloth carefully. The coffee machine would have liked to thank the old woman for her kindness if it could.

6:30 am

Piper soon burst through the door, her frazzled auburn hair sticking out everywhere and with a beautiful bouquet of flowers in her hand.

"Belinda? Oh, there you are," she exclaimed as she saw the owner of the shop crouching behind the counter. Belinda straightened up, sighing as she rubbed her back.

"What is, child? Do remind me next time not to go looking for the paper cups."

Piper smiled broadly at her. "These flowers are for you! They finally grew big enough for me to cut them."

"They're absolutely beautiful, just like you my dear. Thank you so much! Now get that little butt of yours over here and help me set up. It's almost opening time."

Piper grabbed an apron and quickly put her long hair into a messy bun.

"What do you need help with?"

7:00 am

Soon the morning rush hour began. The coffee machine was used so many times that Piper had to refill it with coffee beans five times.

The coffeemaker wanted to smile when Miss Delia stumbled through the glass doors. Piper chuckled as the older woman sleepily plopped down on a wooden stool.

"Hey Miss D! Do you want the usual?"

Miss Delia yawned and waved her away.

"Yes, give me two cups though. I have absolutely no energy today and I feel like I could sleep all day. "

Piper smiled sympathetically at her.

"Don't worry, you'll feel much better soon." Then she whispered something in her ear, too far away for the coffeemaker to hear. As Miss Delia laughed, the coffeemaker felt like laughing along. Her laugh was incredibly contagious.

9:00 am

"Uh, I want...one vanilla caramel latte and a plate of blueberry pancakes."

Piper smiled at the lanky, boy.

"Sure thing. You want maple syrup to go with your pancakes?"

The boy ran his fingers through his scruffy brown hair.

"Yeah, that would be great." He gave her a small smile and sat down at a window booth, looking out the window as the rain poured steadily, drumming over the rooftops.

Piper slid the hot dish over to him.

"Here you go! Enjoy your pancakes."

The boy looked up, startled from his thoughts.

"Thanks..."

Piper just looked at him kindly, giving him a big smile. Never underestimate

the power of a smile. They can brighten any rainy day.

12:00 pm

The coffeemaker felt like sighing.

Piper and Belinda were having a lunch break so the machine was all alone, sitting on the ceramic counter. It could hear the two of them laughing in the kitchen, chatting happily about things that happened. The coffee maker sincerely wished it could talk at the moment. It got lonely often.

On those days the old machine wished with all of its steel, wired being to be human.

1:30 pm

"Bonjour mademoiselle! C'ava bien? What is your specialty?"

Piper looked curiously at the man standing before her. He was tall, with a ruddy complexion and a slight stubble. She could see the beads of perspiration on his face. With one hand he was leading his bike, with the other holding his helmet.

"Uh hi! Bonjer to you too? Our specialty would probably be the toffee spice coffee," she replied, stumbling over the foreign word. "Would you like to try that?"

The cyclist gave her a toothy grin.

"Oui, Oui, that would be wonderful."

Piper grinned at his accent.

"Okay then. Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable."

After she sent his coffee over, they had a little chat.

"So, what brings you to America?"

He gladly told her his story. Belinda soon joined, so they listened to him talk for over 3 hours. The cyclist, whose name turned out be Eduardo, got his first bike when he was 5 years old. He won his first competition at age 10 and by the time he was 19 he owned an impressive little collection of bikes. It had always been his dream to travel, so when he got the chance he decided to bike around the world. Eduardo told them of green pastures, tall snowy mountains, and large crystal clear lakes. He was captivating to listen to.

The coffeemaker would have liked to travel around the world someday too... not that this dream would ever come true, just like all of the other million things he wished he could do.

8:00 pm

"Bye Belinda! Have a good night!"

The old woman smiled back at Piper, waving her gloved hand. Piper sat down in the kitchen to eat dinner and the coffeemaker was once again left alone. It had spent the day sitting on the counter as usual, wishing for things it couldn't have. So many years it had spent hoping that something miraculous would happen to it.. and so many times was it disappointed.

However, the old machine had come to realize something. If it were a human, a dog, or a even a fish, would it be as happy? The coffeemaker wasn't sure. Dogs and fish couldn't make coffee. Humans probably couldn't either without the help of a coffee machine. Besides, if coffee was what made people like Belinda, Piper, Miss Delia, that lost boy, and Eduardo happy, then so be it. It would continue making coffee until it completely broke down and had to be thrown away.

Perhaps being a coffee maker wasn't so bad after all.