It isn’t too often that I slow down on a weekday morning to catch life. There’s the gym time I convince myself of having and even if I stop off to get my dark chocolate mocha, I am guilty of never spending any more time than it takes to say hello, order, and thank you.
Today I was craving a change, a break in the routine, a bump in the road even, anything to take ordinary to special. After my cup of deliciousness was ready and I added a shake or two of cocoa and cinnamon over the top, I sat back down. What was the rush? I decided to check to see if I could access their Wi-Fi on my iTouch and I could. I began writing a quick note, overhearing the other customers and one in particular ordering a brownie.
A brownie for breakfast is hardly new to me, so I honestly didn’t bat an eye. Smiled slightly, maybe. The gentleman in a gray sweatshirt and jeans set down next to me. I noticed the brownie first. It covered the majority of its plate and he set it down next to the stack of out of order newspapers. Next to it was a cold tall bottle of Coca-Cola. It was the kind that had been imported from the Mexican bottling plants, made with real cane sugar–not the kind of sugar that I can’t pronounce.
“Breakfast of champions!” but he didn’t hear me. He did notice me smiling at him as he sat down.
“Are you working?”
I realized that he had special needs. A bit slurred speech and the eagerness of a child.
“No.”
“Do you work near here?”
“Yes, just down the street.”
“That’s nice. I’m taking the train.”
“Oh yeah? Where are you going?”
“Hmm…just getting on. We’ll see.”
“Sounds like fun to me.”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or cry. I have never been on a train although I almost always get stuck at the light for ten minutes waiting for them to pass by my work. Here I was, hardly having a moment to slow down and just enjoy life and here he was, going wherever the train tracks took him. By the time our short conversation was over, the brownie had disappeared and he was nursing the bottle of Coke.
“Have a good day.”
justalittlepiece 