Page 6 of Mr. Hotshot CEO
No, it’s the short walk to my favorite coffee shop, eleven minutes from the lab, and the amazing aroma that hits my nose as I step in the door. It’s the cozy couches and wooden furniture, the familiar faces, the barista who chats with me and makes pretty foam art. It’s the taste of the latte, the spices. It’s feeling naughty and special for having gingerbread lattes all year long, when usually you can only get them in December. (The gingerbread latte isn’t on the menu now, but I’m a regular and they make it for me anyway.) It’s a break from the rest of my life.
Yes, it costs five dollars, and since I have about three a week, this isn’t a cheap habit. People complain about millennials wasting money on indulgences like lattes and avocado toast, and they say that’s why we can’t afford houses. But the real reason I can’t buy a house is because houses are ridiculously expensive in Toronto and cutting out my gingerbread latte habit wouldn’t make me hundreds of thousands of dollars richer.
It’s five dollars that contributes to my happiness, so I consider it five dollars well spent. That’s what I focus on in life—those little things that make the sun shine just a bit brighter.
However, at some point in the near future, I’ll stop being able to appreciate such things. My niece might smile at me for the first time, and I won’t feel anything.
There was a hint of it last week. I tried a new ice cream parlor and the ube ice cream was really good. Well, intellectually I knew it was good, but it didn’t taste as amazing as it should have. It felt like I was experiencing the world through a thick blanket of fog again.
This week, I’m okay, enjoying my niece’s big eyes and my gingerbread lattes, but I know. I just know.
It’s coming.
It’s inevitable.
* * *
“How was the wedding?” Lydia asks Naomi at dinner. We’re eating takeout from an Indian restaurant.
“It was great, except I discovered Will can’t dance.”
Lydia holds a sleeping Heather in one arm as she eats. “I never imagined him as an enthusiastic dancer.”
We all chuckle at the thought of grumpy Will heating things up on the dance floor.
“But I figured he’d at least be able to slow dance,” Lydia says. “It’s not that hard.”
“It is for him,” Naomi says.
“Bad dancers are supposed to be bad in bed, but I assume he disproves that theory?”
Jeremy glares at his wife, though it’s a fond sort of glare. I’m sure Lydia made that comment just to get under his skin. He’s still not quite used to the fact that his best friend is dating his baby sister, but at least he’s not totally against it now, which is an improvement.
“Any plans for the weekend?” Lydia asks me and Naomi.
“I’m going to a bachelorette party tomorrow,” my sister says.
“Will there be strippers?” Lydia sounds quite excited by the possibility.
Jeremy glares at her again.
She rolls her eyes. “What? There were strippers at my bachelorette. It was awesome.”
“I’m not sure of the details,” Naomi says, reaching for the basmati rice. “Knowing the maid of honor, there probably will be.”
“What about you?” Lydia asks me. “What are you doing, since you don’t have a baby to look after? Going anywhere is such a production now.” She kisses her daughter’s forehead.
“Um.” I don’t know what to say. I’m not going to mention that I have plans to drink a gingerbread latte tomorrow and go for a long walk and eat gelato—alone—on Saturday, since that sounds pathetic. “We’ll see.”
In fact, I have no exciting plans at all for the next couple of months. Naomi and I are going to New York City this fall, in October or early November, but until then? Not so much.
* * *
The next morning, Iget up at seven, as usual. It’s already warm enough to eat outside, so I have breakfast on the balcony. I’m going to enjoy summer while it’s here.
My balcony is another thing that brings me joy. For a few months of the year—no longer than that, not here in Canada—it’s like having another room. I could have gotten a cheaper apartment in another building, but this one has a balcony, and it’s near Broadview Station, which is only a short subway ride from the university. It’s worth the extra expense.
Not only do I have a balcony, but it’s a huge one. I have a comfortable lounge chair for reading, plus two other chairs and a small table. I don’t know why I have multiple chairs, since I never have company out here, but I do.
