Beans Café

Where it Began

Three Weeks Ago

Monday

Think Indie. I'm talking flower child meets goth vibes; I'm talking coming of age film that's a little too realistic for Disney or nickelodeon to get behind; I'm talking typical book protagonist "pre-lifechanging-self-discovery".
Have an image in your mind yet? Good. Keep it there and cast that image for the role of me.
Me. The weird one. Sitting alone in a booth by the window with the best view of the parking lot.
It's dismal outside, and I'm equally dismal in appearance.
I'm rain-soaked and my lack of filter forbids me from watching what I say or what my expression reveals. I am having an awful, awful day and anyone with eyes knows it.
I rotate between letting my gaze sit on the table and casting forlorn glances at the empty parking lot.
I'm about to send the parking lot another of my glances when my eyes fall on them.
"What the hell?"
My eyes met someone else's, a someone who had joined me in the booth.
"Well hello to you too"
I narrow my eyes at the stranger sitting across from me.
"Let me rephrase that. What the hell are you smiling at me for?"
My words only cause the smile in question to grow and the slight frown on my face to deepen.
"I come here a lot. To this cafe and specifically to this booth. Usually on weeknights around 6:45 pm sharp. All summer long, I've had absolutely no one join me. It's nice to share a table with someone is all"
The frown I wear takes on a more confused quality. My bag in tow, I scoot out of the booth and claim a seat at another empty table.
I have another favor to ask of you, dear reader.
Blink. That's right. Close your eyes and then open them again.
That's the amount of time it took for the sound of chair legs on tile to alert me that my "new friend" followed me.
I move to jump tables again the moment I hear the sound, but the stranger stops me with words.
Raw and honest words.
"Wait. Please. I know I weirded you out and I'm sorry. I work here and I saw you sitting alone. You've been sitting for hours by the way and my shift ended a few minutes ago. I just wanted to make sure everything is okay."
I can't help but notice the amount of sincerity in the voice carrying the words and I find myself settling back into my seat.
"Next time maybe just ask that instead of whatever you call what you did."
The stranger nods in agreement and let's a sigh fall from their lips.
"Yeah, it's not rocket science or anything and I know that. Somehow I'm still terrible at this whole human interaction thing."
My frown wavers slightly, letting amusement twinkle in my eyes for a brief moment.
"I'm not exactly the Albert Einstein of small talk either, but maybe I can impart to you what I know. Just so you don't scare off all your customers or get mistaken for a creep or something."
We share a small laugh at my words and then the craziest thing happens.
I smile. For perhaps the first time that summer, I smiled completely of my own volition and I had no ulterior motive.
"Lesson number one: pick a topic."
"Such as?"
"You said you come here a lot, even listed a time. Why?"
My frown has been replaced with pure curiosity. While I'm not sure that curiosity counts as a facial expression, my features are covered in the stuff as I rest my chin on my palm and wait for a response.
"At 7pm. At 7 on weeknights. . .um. This is that awkwardness I mentioned. Sorry"
"No worries, just spit it out"
"Poetry. I come here for poetry nights."
"Poetry nights? Why was that so hard to say?"
A smile takes this moment to perch on my lips and those of the stranger. Well the poet, I shall call them.
"So, at 7. Poetry will just happen?"
"Not exactly. Sorta."
"I'm listening."
"At 7 the manager will power up the old sound system for the stage over there and it's open mic from 7 until midnight."
I turn my eyes to the small "stage" in the back corner of the cafe. It was really just a slight platform with some sound equipment nearby it.
"Do you ever recite anything?" I ask, returning my gaze to the poet.
"Occasionally"
A look that tells me the stranger's mind is elsewhere leaves me wondering what sort of poems this strange person would share.
As I mentioned before I have no filter.
"What kind of poems?"
The words barrel out of my mouth and I find myself leaning forward a little, anticipating the stranger's answer.
"Well, I just kinda write about what I feel."
I smile slightly as ideas of what poems about "feels" might be like.
"So are these poems about things from your life? What if someone you know strolls in and hears you dissing them on stage"
The stranger smiles brightly and we share yet another laugh. It's clear the poet is now in their element, a look of comfort and confidence shapes their expression now.
"I don't write about the people or the situations that bring about my feelings. I try to isolate and describe the feelings themselves."
I find myself genuinely interested in the method behind this stranger's poetry, and as always that interest floods to my face.
My interest doesn't go unnoticed as the poet continues to describe how they write to me.
We easily spend an hour or more talking about poems and much to my surprise feelings.
The buzz of my phone receiving a call pulls me from the conversation. I glance at the caller ID and I'm struck by the realization that it's almost 7pm.
I leap up from my seat and make a mad dash for the door.
"I have to go! I'm sorry!"
I throw the words over my shoulder as I scramble toward an old truck waiting for me in the parking lot.
As the cafe door swings shut behind me, I hear the familiar voice of the stranger call out.
"Wait, I didn't get your name!"
I chuckle to myself as I approach the old truck.
"About time! I was waiting for at least 10 minutes!"
"Sorry"
I mumble as I buckle in and the old truck grumbles away from the cafe.
As the cafe shrinks in the rearview mirror, realization dawns on me.
I didn't get a name either!

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A/N

Hello again!! Woohoo chapter two! Is anyone annoyed yet by the lack of names and pronouns? It's all part of the experiment I mentioned!
Hang in there, I promise it gets less confusing/ annoying soon 🖤
Most importantly, Thank you so much for reading!!
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