Maria really wished she could get off the phone, but her soon-to-be-ex-husband, James Reynolds, continued to spew at her through the phone, and her fingers froze into a claw around her cell, unwilling to snap the phone closed. She could hear people muttering behind her in line, even over James' hateful comments. She'd have to call Mr. Burr, her divorce lawyer, afterwards, and tell him James wasn't leaving her alone
The barista, a sunny-looking young woman with long dark hair and a nametag decorated with hearts that read Eliza(who Maria may or may not have developed a crush on over the past few months), looked at her concernedly. Maria tried to order her regular caramel latte, but that seemed to infuriate James even more.
"Are you getting coffee? You whiny, ungrateful bitch, that's my money!"
Maria swallowed hard, feeling tears prick her eyes, and stared down at the floor, holding the phone away from her ear. A hand entered her blurry vision, and she glanced up to see Eliza, holding out her hand. Trembling, Maria dropped the phone into Eliza's hand, who promptly shut the flip phone with a click, and handed her phone back paired with a caramel latte with extra whipped cream, and smiley-faces doodled in Sharpie on the side. Maria nodded her thanks, handed Eliza a five dollar bill with a raspy "Keep the change," and moved towards a table in the back.
She swiped at the tears, feeling like an idiot. She should've hung up the damn phone; it shouldn't have taken a random barista to hang up her own phone.
She wished the whole mess was over already.
A small clink sounded on the table, and she lifted her gaze minutely to see a small plate sitting in front of her; seated on it was a sizable cinnamon roll dripping with icing. She looked up higher to see Eliza sitting across from her, with a small, sympathetic smile.
Feeling her throat tighten, Maria managed a smile, then dropped her gaze again, feeling her cheeks flush. A napkin slid over to her, decorated with hearts and a phone number written in loopy digits.
She glanced back up at Eliza, who smiled and rose from her seat, brushing a comforting hand against Maria's shoulder before slipping back behind the counter. Maria could hear someone else asking where Eliza had run off to as she picked up the napkin with the phone number. Flipping it over, she saw a message written in the same curly handwriting.
My shift's over at 12:30. Hang in there!
Maria smiled, running a thumb over the message, when her eye caught another small image.
A smiley-face, done in simplicity with Sharpie.