the journal - h.s.

02

“I’m not late! I am NOT late!” I yelled loudly at my co-worker Marc, as I stripped out off my long brown jacket and speedily caught one of the black café aprons, which reached me mid thigh as I fastened it around my waist. Slipping my phone and the notepad into the pocket of the apron I could hear Marc chuckle from the main room. I smiled widely at the well known sound and started to gather my hair in a bun, holding the pencil between my teeth and hurried out to him.

“Not late,” I stated again, the words muffled by the pencil. As I was finally satisfied with the bun I quickly took it out and beamed at him as he murmured an ironic ‘sure’ and shook his head still chuckling.

The café wasn’t too busy luckily. A couple was seated by the window, a group of five younger people chatted around a table and a girl was typing speedily at her shiny macbook. I had never really understood why people bought those expensive computers anyway - what was wrong with a cheaper - and yeah maybe more ugly - laptop? I mean did it make any sense to pay that much for the look?

Marc was cleaning the sink behind the counter murmuring along to some chill hipster song, which was playing. I had always loved the dimmed light in the café and the charming brick walls - it was not a fancy place but cozy. There would usually be tons of those hipster types in here - just like that couple at the window. They looked like art students or something. As my eyes quickly drifted over the place I frowned my eyes, “why haven’t they cleaned up?”  

Marc was still focusing on the sink as he answered absent minded, “there’s this new girl - she had her first shift today and Eric told me she was just impossible. He was so stressed out when I came to take over - apparently he had sent her home earlier because she was just … impossible.”

“Seriously?” I lifted my brows in surprise, as I grabbed one of the mugs and prepared the espresso machine.

“Yeah, I told him we would take care of it -” he shrugged and leaned against the counter watching me steam the milk. Of course Marc had offered that - he was always so damn polite. Almost too polite at times. I nodded in agreement, “so what did she do to him? I mean Eric is pretty hardcore,” I giggled. The big, well trained, blonde guy was definitely a man with surplus of mental resources. He had been the one to train me when I had first started one and a half year ago - wow - had it really been that long? Anyhow I couldn’t imagine how anything could possibly stress out Eric. Not even that time when a class full of drunk college students had arrived did he panic, unlike me. I had been overly confused - that had happened my first month here - so he had even had to deal with a little green me.

“Yeah - that was my question too. Apparently she had been totally hung over,” Marc smirked as I grabbed the mug with the freshly brewed espresso shot, “she had really tried to help and listen to him, but apparently she fucked up five orders and hadn’t learn to use the espresso machine yet. Furthermore she dropped a tray with two lattes, which splashed all over,” I cringed picturing that - and in an already busy café, “so really she was more of a burden, than a help. But she was probably just nervous on her first day,” he added - making me smile again to myself. Polite as always. He would come up with excuses for everyone. “I mean clearly she must be good at something since she was hired, right?”

Marc watched me as I steadily poured the steaming hot milk into the mug, finishing it off by creating a beautiful latte art pattern. “Show off,” Marc whispered at me, as I proudly looked at my work. Yeah this one had come off pretty great.

“Jealous much?” I teased him back with a laugh. No matter how often I had tried teaching him the secret behind the making of latte art - he still remained one big question mark, when his coffee ended with an abstract picasso like pattern.

I sipped my coffee - once again letting my eyes gaze over the café making sure none of the guests were missing anything - ,”but you still make an evil americano. So you’re excused.” The smile crept into his features and his brown eyes shun with amusement - it was the most adorable reaction, when I gave him compliments. He shook his head lightly making me laugh. As I couldn’t stand the mess on the tables in the café any longer I quickly slipped passed the counter collecting the cups and plates. Returning them to Marc at the counter, I headed back igniting the candles standing on each table. Hopefully tonight wouldn’t be too full of surprises...

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a/n: do you guys prefere loads of short quick updates - or long and not so often?

(extra a/n added 26 march 2014 -- guys I got a macbook, iphone etc myself so amber's question about apple's products isn't my opinion so chiill haha :'D )