It was a Tuesday morning. I had just entered Backroads Coffee after leaving my pilates class at the local yoga studio. Less than a block from my apartment, I went there every Tuesday and Thursday. Routine, right?
I walked up to the counter, as there was no life, per usual. Backroads wasn't a popular little coffee shop, which made it ideal. Small and quaint, it was right below the yoga studio and across the street from my local gym. I went there almost every morning.
"Morning Sarah," said the teenage girl behind the counter, "The usual this morning?" I made eye contact with her. She was new to the job, with her shiny name tag reading "Jen," but already had picked up on my habits.
"Yes please," I said, breaking eye contact to grab my wallet.
"Perfect, your total is $4.27," she said, giving me a bright smile. I awkwardly returned the smile as I handed her a five dollar bill. She quickly got my change and I put it into the tip jar along with a single dollar.
"Thank you, and your order will be ready in just a minute!" She said, glancing behind me as I stepped to the side, "How can I help you today, sir?"
"A large black coffee, please," the voice behind me said. I furrowed my eyebrows. It was odd for someone else to be there at this time. I took a quick glance at the man behind me. He was a tall man with dark hair wearing suit. Probably some sort of government official, which wasn't that uncommon, I reminded myself. This was less than 20 minutes from Quantico. I quickly averted my gaze and took a seat at a table while I waited for my coffee to be ready.
"Sarah? Your coffee is ready!" Jen said. I got to my feet and grabbed the coffee from her hands, thanking her. I turned to leave, taking a sip of my drink. I heard Jen's voice behind me call another name but I paid no attention, trying to start my short walk home. No sooner had I taken a sip did I make a face.
It was a black coffee.
Not my mocha.
"Excuse me?" I said getting Jen's attention, "I think you may have mixed up my order with someone else's."
"Oh darn," she said, cheeks burning as she peered into my cup, "I am so sorry about that." She looked behind me and called, "Sir! Excuse me! You have the wrong order!"
I looked around to see the same man who had been behind me in line.
"I'll remake those for you both very quickly, just give me one second!" Jen said, turning to get to business.
I let out a soft sigh and turned to sit back down, almost bumping into the man behind me.
"Excuse me," I said, brushing past him.
"Does this happen often?"
"What?" I said turning to face the man.
"Is it often that your coffee orders get switched up?" he clarified.
"No," I said, clearing my throat, "Jen is new here." He nodded and stood stiffly by the counter. I sat down and we remained there in silence for a new seconds before Jen came back, two cups of coffee in her hands.
"Now a mocha for Sarah," she said, grinning as she handed me my drink, "and a large black coffee for…"
"Aaron," he said, "thank you."
"So sorry about that, and I hope to see you both again soon!" Jen quipped, "Now have a great day!"
Giving her a small wave, I took a sip of my coffee and walked out of the shop, feeling the cold air hit my skin. Then I trekked onward to my apartment, checking behind me every ten seconds, and not stopping till I reached my apartment.
The one thing about routine is noticing when something changes. In this case, the change was at Backroads Coffee. The same man, Aaron, kept appearing. Not everyday, at first, but enough to notice. He always got the same thing, a large black coffee. Even the thought of downing a cup of that was enough to make my skin crawl. I had always thought that black coffee was too bitter and acidic.
About a month later, another change occurred, altering routine. I entered the coffee shop and he was already seated, drinking his bitter cup of death, but he was sitting with someone. A small boy, no older than 5 years old, was sitting with him, eating what I assumed to be a blueberry muffin from the pastry case.
"The usual," came Jen's voice, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Oh, yes! Sorry," I murmured grabbing the money and paying her, before leaving a tip in the tip jar. I turned to go sit in my usual spot where I would wait for my coffee, before realizing Aaron and the boy were seated at my usual table. I took the stop next to them, grabbing my phone out of my bag to read the daily news. Nothing too out of the ordinary.
"Daddy, can I use the restroom?" came a voice from the table next to me. I let a small smile grace my face. So he had a son.
"One sec buddy, let me see…" Aaron said, his voice trailing off. "Excuse me?" I was pulled from my thoughts to see him looking at me. "Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you knew where the restrooms are?" Taking a glance at the counter and not seeing Jen, I nodded.
"Um, yeah. So, basically, towards the back there is a bookshelf and the restrooms are to the right of that," I said pointing to the back of the coffee shop.
"Thank you, and would you mind watching our stuff while I take him-" he began, but I cut him off.
"It's no problem. I'm still waiting for my coffee anyways." He gave a short smile and ushered his son off to the bathroom. I smiled at the sight. The little boy reminded me of-
No. I can't think of that.
Closing my eyes for a second and taking a deep breath, I reminded myself of the rules.
I opened them and glanced at the counter just as Jen called out my name. I got up and murmured a quick thank you before sitting back down.
A few minutes late the pair emerged from the back.
"Thank you," Aaron said.
"It's no problem, really," I said grabbing my bag.
"I never caught your name?" He said, giving me an expectant look. I glanced him, giving him a once over. He seemed harmless enough with his kid clinging to his side.
"Sarah," I said, sticking out my hand for a handshake. He shook mine as he continued.
"Aaron, and this is Jack," he said gesturing to the blonde child next to him.
"Nice to meet you both, but I'm afraid I really must be going," I said, giving the child, Jack, a small smile.
"Of course," Aaron said, "Now Jack, what do we say?"
"Thank you Sarah!" Jack said, giving a little jump. I let out a small chuckle and crouched to his level.
"You're very welcome Jack," I said. I turned to leave before turning, "Have a nice rest of your day."
They returned the sentiment as I left, sipping my mocha and ignoring the small smile on my face.