Lucky In Love? A Valentine Anthology

Lost Love Latte

Clara shrugged. "Stephanie is back from break any second now, and your shift ends in half an hour anyway. Clean up, get out. Maybe a drink will at least make you feel better."

I looked down at the card again.

"Okay, sure. Thanks." I cleaned up my tools and took off my apron.

"Have a good night, Marcie. Even if it's with yourself, okay?"

I smiled as I grabbed my purse from under the counter. "I'll try. See you tomorrow, Clara."

She blew me a kiss, I laughed and I went out the door.

I looked down at the little map on the card. Was I really doing this? I guess so, because the sad reality of going home alone wasn't as appealing as buying into some kind of magic drink mumbo jumbo.

The store was easy to find once I found the street. But it was tiny, the width of it barely large enough to hold the door and front window.

Going inside, I was met with a warm smile by an old woman. Her hair was in a neat white bun and her purple apron was speckled with age and use. Magical Mary.

The place looked like a coffee shop more than anything else, though some of the ingredients behind the counter looked much more interesting than a pump of vanilla or mocha syrup.

"Welcome, honey. Step on over to my counter and tell me what seems to be the trouble."

There were no other customers around. Hesitantly, I walked over and took a seat on the first stool.

"Um, well I'm not too sure what I need. I'm here for a pick-me-up I guess," I mumbled.

"Hmm, that is a problem. I can't serve you what you want, only what you need." She smiled. "Will that do?"

"I guess I'll take what you recommend then."

The old woman looked me over, tapping her fingers on the counter and humming a soft tune to herself while she stared. "Okay, I think I've got a read on the situation. You're unhappy, and it's because of lost love. That I can fix."

I raised an eyebrow. "You can?"

She chuckled. "I can see your skepticism. If you want my help, give me a five dollar bill and a breath mint from your purse."

"How did you know I had-"

"Mints? Come now, I can't give away trade secrets." She winked. "A five dollar bill and a breath mint. And kiss the bill before you hand it over."

With no small amount of confusion and concern, I pulled the mint and money from my purse and set it on the counter.

"Don't forget the kiss," she said.

I took the bill back, kissed it quickly, and set it back down.

"Perfect. One lost love latte coming up!" She took the mint, the five, and spun around to her counter where she began measuring things and turning on a coffee pot.

I watched as she steamed milk, crushed up the mint, and began adding things I couldn't read the labels of until Finally she was done.

"Here you go." She turned around and slid a small paper cup to me. "Drink it quickly and hurry home. Love can grow quickly if you're nurturing it."

I smelled it. It didn't seem too off. "Um, thank you."

She beamed at me, and turned back to clean up her counter.

I slid off the stool and made my way to the door. Lost love latte? Hmm.

Once my shoes hit the sidewalk and her strange shop was behind me, I took a sip. It was actually pretty good. Mint and spice and a hint of hazelnut. I drank it on the way back to my apartment, but it didn't make me feel any better.