Just a little something I had on my mind since yesterday.
Espresso, cappuccino, latte
Every meal and drink has a taste. That goes without saying. And sometimes taste brings back certain thoughts and emotions because of the memories connected with that particular taste.
Matt, who learned to rely on his other four senses, was no exception in that regard. In fact, there were smells and tastes he – being devoid of sight and unable recognize people by their faces – associated with certain persons known to him. With smells, it were hygiene products, sweat, scents of the streets and specific aromas of their bodies.
With tastes, it was coffee.
Three people in his life were making him coffee. Each coffee was different, not only because it were three different kinds of coffee – espresso, cappuccino and latte – but because Matt grew to associate certain things with these particular scents and tastes. The moment when he felt how his nostrils were filled with the scents of coffee, he knew what will come next. And he couldn't wait.
Take for example Foggy's espresso. After all those years Foggy knew how to brew espresso the way Matt liked it. Or rather – Matt grew to like it, because so many positive things were connected to it.
Foggy's espresso smelt like afternoons spent in their dorm room, either studying or goofing around. It smelt like cafeteria, where he and Foggy used to hang out and talk about random stuff, sometimes even picking up girls. It smelt like mornings in "Landman and Zack", when they were joking loosely before spending another hideous day in that hellhole. It smelt like their firm, when they were readying themselves for another battle. It smelt like friendship, closeness and warmth.
Karen's cappuccino was a bit different. Karen was not very good in making coffee, so Matt assumed that it wasn't part of her duties in Union Allied (he had to remind himself that not all secretaries were obliged to make coffee for their bosses). She was good in other things – computers, bookkeeping and even fighting – and both Matt and Foggy were admitting it. Yet sometimes she still insisted on making them cappuccino, even more since Foggy told her that her coffee sucks. Matt presumed it was actually a matter of self-improvement and/or pride.
Karen's cappuccino smelt like the small talks in the morning. It smelt like all three of them – Karen, Foggy and him – sitting in the office 'til the late evening and working on improving the world. It smelt like their dinners with Chinese food. It smelt like Karen trying hard to make good coffee and like Matt and Foggy trying hard to bring justice to those in need. It smelt like "Nelson and Murdock. Attorneys at Law". It smelt like hope, home and good intentions.
Finally father Lantom's latte. When the priest invited Matt on coffee for the first time, mentioning that he makes pretty decent latte, the lawyer refused. However, during his next visit, Matt – led by both curiousness and need of advice – decided to ask if the latte offer is still open. Fortunately for Matt, it still was. And so the tradition of conversations with cups of latte began.
Father Lantom's latte smelt like serenity of the church. It smelt like their conversations about the nature of good and evil. It smelt like father Lantom speaking to Matt about old truths he – as a vigilante – should always have in mind. It smelt like an old shepherd ready to listen to his doubts and trying to help him in this delicate situation. It smelt like trust, support, peacefulness and – oddly enough – God's presence.
Each and every coffee tasted differently. Espresso tasted like Matt's best friend – the closest person to Matt since the death of his father. Cappuccino tasted like a wonderful, brave woman, who was fighting alongside with them for justice. Latte tasted like a man, who was willing to listen to the devil and give him guidance, talk to his conscience and take him out from the darkness.
Some people were going to Starbucks or other expensive coffee shops. For Matt, no barista in the world could make coffee as good, as the one Foggy, Karen and father Lantom were making.