Coffee & Criminals

2. An Unforgettable Arrival

"Oh, Florence." She sighed. "Your father will be in soon, he went to file taxes. It's that time of year again." Her eyes glazed over for a second. I was about to start singing to bring her out of her daydream when she snapped out of it. Grabbing her bag, Mom began walking towards the kitchen door. Her office was beyond that. "Anyways, if you find Clancy, send her to me." She stopped at the door and looked back. "Are you okay manning the counter for the next hour or so? Your father should be in by then and he can take over."

"Yes. And Clancy is in the kitchen."

"Thank you, baby. I'll check up in a bit before the lunch rush hits."

"Yeah."

"Oh, Florence." Mom sighed again and disappeared. The doors swung shut behind her.

The next hour or so passed. It was fairly quiet in the coffee shop. A few customers wandered in and replaced the ones that eventually left. Slurping Coffee Guy left with who I assumed to be his girlfriend. They were actually kind of cute together. Clancy helped out with the tables that were occupied. Other than that, the day was as boring as the next day certainly be. Ade stopped by during one of his in-between class breaks, bought a cup of coffee, and left.

The sky darkened. It was going to rain soon. Brooklyn saw more clouds than the sun on most days. It was a bleary, cold, and quiet day. I busied myself with pointless things, washing and rewashing a counter that already had been washed so many times, trying to eat a stick of licorice and spitting it back out, persuading an elderly man with dentures to buy a clay sculpture I made in art class...it was all just a way to pass the time.

The coffee shop doors slammed shut, bringing in a gust of wind with the new customer. Hearing the arrival, I suppressed a sigh and went back to the counter with a fake but bright smile on my face to serve whoever had entered.

It was a man, and a very intimidating man at that. He had a mop of black curls and dark, angry eyes that swept around the place better than my broom did. A pink bubble grew from between his lips. It popped and he began chewing his gum again like it owed the man money. He had on a heavy woolen coat and his hands were shoved into his pockets. The man stood on the doorway for a minute, his eyes surveying the shop before landing on me.

By now, he had gained the attention of several of the customers sitting closest to the door. As the man strode up to the counter, I felt a strange unease clench my stomach. However, my professional side got the best of me as he walked up. Forcing a huge grin on my face, I said in the cheeriest voice I could, "Hi! Welcome to the Espresso House. How can I help you?"

Even I could cringe at the fakeness of my tone, like the man did. He tried to suppress his grimace and fixed me with a cold stare. Chewing his bubblegum loudly, the man motioned to the large flat screen tv hanging above the clock against one of the walls. Beneath it were abstract pictures of different colours that my mother hung up to liven up the place.

He tipped his head towards the tv. "Turn it on."

I frowned. People usually just ordered a cup of coffee. Even though this wasn't the strangest request, it did confuse me. I stared at the man, the blank expression that must've been on my face annoying him because he jabbed his head towards it again impatiently. "What?" I stared at him.

"The TV." He enunciated the words like I was stupid. I certainly felt like it at this point. The man removed one of his hands from his pocket and pointed to the dark screen again. I noticed he had the most curious little tattoo on his middle finger. It was of a king's crown with five points, very small and black. "Can you please turn it on?"

Heat crawled up my cheeks. Fumbling for the remote in one of the counter drawers, I was fully aware of how everyone was now watching us. The customers fell silent, deciding this exchange was more interesting than their conversations were. They watched curiously as I moved out from behind the counter and turned the television on, my hands trembling.