Falling Softly Through The Seattle Rain by Patrick Councilor
The November rain washed the streets of Seattle in a lazy-shower way. For those who lived in Seattle, it wasn't much of a rain, nothing to cause one to tote an umbrella everywhere one went. It wasn't like anyone seemed to be running for cover.
He stepped inside Storyville Coffee at First and Madison. He stood there, just inside the door, to allow himself to drip a bit. His heart fluttered a bit and his hands went cold with the chill of excitement in his palms and the goosebumps of nervousness on his skin. It was all do at the sight of the brown eyed girl on the other side of the counter. He hadn't seen her in quite some time and had thought that she had quit and moved on. Much to his delight, she hadn't. He took a deep breath and set his brief case down on the floor just long enough to remove his long overcoat and drape it over his right arm. Taking his brief case back up, he headed to the short line to order his coffee.
He watched her every move… her every gesture as if he were to be tested on it later. Needless to say, he was just admiring the way she moved… the style she put in movements that others just take for granted. Who was this mystery, beautiful, brown-eyed girl behind the counter? What was her story? How did it come to her taking orders and fixing coffee?
As the line shortened, he ran her name over and over in his mind. Of course, he had it memorized, but he just didn't want to become tongue tied when he reached the counter.
She had made many of coffee for him and it had been a while, but if only she remembered him, it would make sunshine even on a day like this where the sun seemed to be on holiday.
Another step closer and he took out his wallet in anticipation of making eye contact with her again. It had been so long since he had seen her here. How long would it be before he saw her again?
His heart fluttered like a butterfly suddenly taking flight when he took his place in front of her. "Well, I haven't seen you in a while."
Her eyes shot over to his and she grinned. "Hey you. Large white chocolate mocha, right?"
He devilishly smiled back. "Why yes, that's right. You remembered."
"How could I forget. You've got to be our best customer."
That made him smile even more, for you see, if she just didn't have such a charming smile or such deep brown eyes of rich maple, he may have picked up his coffee from Seattle Coffee Works, which was that much closer to his office building.
She took up a large paper cup and her marker. "David, right?"
"That's correct." He paid for his coffee. Even though others were in line behind him, he followed along the counter with her as she made his drink. "You had me worried."
She looked up at him. "How so?"
"I hadn't seen you in quite a while. I thought, perhaps you didn't work here anymore."
"Oh no, I just went to go visit with my uncle."
"Oh how wonderful. No one can make my coffee like you can." Oh hell, what did he just do? He was paying her the most wonderful compliment and it fell through like a wet paper bag and ended up just being a compliment about her work.
She still smiled back. "Thank you David."
His smile returned. Most employees would just say thank you, but the way she kept using his name meant something right? It had to.
She placed his coffee up on the counter and as he went to take it and put tip in her tip jar, she covered the tip jar with her hand. "You always over tip me. Not today, right? I should be buying you this one."
"Nonsense. But just the same…" he put his money away, "Thank you Lynn."
She smiled back and gave him a single nod. "You're welcome David."
He stood there and took a sip. "Perfect… as always."
She looked back to the line that was growing. "I'd better get back to what I do best."
"Right. And thanks again." He found an empty table and took a seat, facing the counter at a "not-so-obvious" angle. He had realized that he was still holding his coat when he turned to place it on the back of his chair. He sipped his mocha and he thought. He was in deep deliberation. He needed to ask that woman out, but how? Just go do it man. Sure there are better ways than the next, but she seems to like him and she did remember his name. It was just the preliminaries of getting the actual words out.
Leaving his coffee, brief case, and coat, he got back in line. He waited. He may have looked and acted patient, but he was far from it. He was screaming from the inside-out for the customers ahead of him to hurry up with their decisions.
"You're back."
"Yes." He took that final big step to the counter. "You know what Lynn, I forgot to get a biscotti… no-no, a scone. You have a cinnamon and raisin scone, don't you?" Oh God, nothing like standing in line a second time to pick up something you forgot to order and then be so indecisive.
"I think we do."
"You must think I'm crazy, but what I'm really up here for is to ask you if I could be so lucky for you to accept an invitation out to dinner," is what he wanted to say, but it never left his lips like it should have.
She found one and wrapped it in a wax paper pocket and handed it to him. "This one is on me."
David nodded. "Thanks Lynn."
