The Coldwater Crisis

1) The Blue Coral Café

"Where do these go?" I ask, holding a tray with two mugs of hot coffee.

"Over to that table right there, with the lifeguards." Genevieve scoffs in a mocking tone, pulling a face in their direction, before pivoting back around to wipe down the counter. Her platinum, mid-length hair was tied back, so that she could work efficiently and diligently. Her blue eyes were piercing through mine as if to ask me what I was waiting for. She worked the hardest out of all of us. I don't blame her though, she needs the money.

Swiftly, I made my way to the table, carefully placing the tray down in between the two customers. The young woman sat there, leaning on the table with her elbow, her blonde hair, that was meticulously highlighted, fell straight, framing her face, a contrast against her glassy brown eyes, that stared at me widely. Despite the preconceptions I undoubtedly hold, the woman's appearance seems warm and friendly. I consider it a shame that the lifeguards never get on with the servers in the café, but sometimes it is better to accept that these things are the way they are for a reason and you can't control everything; this was one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn.

The guy sat opposite, however, had a more angular appearance, from his sharp jawline and thick, straight eyebrows that lay just above his deep brown eyes, that unlike those of the girl, conveyed an air of mystery. His hand lay in his ashy brown hair, it was tousled, he looked as if he had just jumped out of bed, but made it work, a quality I envy greatly. Yes, he was conventionally attractive, but the all-consuming silence left a dampener on his personality. I find it hard to feel anything toward people who have the manners of a brick.

"Two coffees." I clasp my hands together gently, beginning to wonder if I had just messed up the simplest order in the entire world. The two then exchange a look of complete disbelief, before their heads shoot back to their cellphones, neither muttering a single word.

"Got it." I whisper, turning on my heels before ambling back behind the counter.

I hang up my apron and make my way to the bathroom. The click of the door hitting the frame releases a sigh from within me, my reflection judging me in the mirror. My hair, that usually lay in dark, coffee-colored waves, had become engulfed in a static mess. Desperately, I attempted to smooth the top of my hair with my hands, but of course, that wouldn't work, when you are working an eight-hour shift and feeling quite embarrassed, nothing seems to go your way.

A small groan escapes my mouth as I realise that I had just made the problem worse. Instinctively I reach for a hair tie on my wrist and for the first time today, I seem to have some luck. I quickly put my hair up into a basic ponytail, deciding to focus on finishing this never-ending day rather than on my appearance. However, I find myself staring back at myself for one last look in the mirror. I catch my eyes, zoning out into a sea of forest green, but just as quickly I snap out of the trance and head back out into the lion's den.

The Blue Coral café, my workplace, is an average-sized café on the beach near my home town, Coldwater Way. Although average in size, it is certainly grandiose in spirit, the interior radiates a homely feeling, oak wood effect tables, and chairs of the same aesthetic. Ocean blue details scattered around the building. However the framed paintings of various forms of sea life, really give the place a unique touch. The café buys these works from local artists, whom in return are provided with both recognition and pride.

The care behind every decision the café makes also aids toward the friendly ambience. For example, single-use plastic has been barred from the site, which is not uncommon now, but instead of immediately resorting to paper straws, each new customer gets a complementary metal straw, so that you don't have to down the contents like a nineteen-year-old boy at a frat party, in fear of the straw disintegrating. Perfect harmony was found in the Blue Coral café, a place for all, until the incident, resulting in a feud between both the lifeguards and café workers.