decisions are easy when you know your goal
Jeff slides an espresso in front of the fellow with a palmtop, no sooner than Eileen screams ‘This cappuccino has milk—I expressly ordered cream,’ and everyone swivels to look.
Finally the guy with dilated eyes and lilliputian screen snaps closed the case and points beyond Jeff. ‘Here, I’ll do it.’ Jeff follows the vector of point to the coffee maker, where he’s surprised to hear himself whimper ‘are you sure?’
Second week of work and already demoted by a patron whose charm is the confidence of one who acts swiftly and pockets a palmtop.
It’s been a week of clogged equipment, the other employee calling in sick and now this slip up with Eileen.
His esteem is about to take a double shot, knowing he’s not making the impression that was the reason for taking a job around the corner, paces he measured to her door.
Mr Palmtop pulls a grin while turning a whoosh and swoosh into a cup of arabica with a topiary top. Jeff’s jaw drops, conceding he’s lost the girl of his dreams to meringue artwork, courtesy of the fat content in cream.
Cheer up, says Palmtop, the greatest mistake is giving up. But Jeff watches Eileen take a seat on the far side by the street.
Son, you’re interested as long as circumstance permits. When you commit you’ll accept no excuses. She stomps to the other side of the shoppe—so what! Nobody’s won or lost with a slather of froth. Ask yourself in this or any endeavour, without the ache of desire: do you still care.
Jeff works a bar not far from his old espresso haunt. Eileen cleans tables and dreams of becoming better. Achieving, she admits, starts with believing character is the author of her story.
