Page 7 of Before Forever

The quaint little shop had a myriad of chalkboard signs in addition to a big chalk wall, all covered in bright, impressive illustrations showing off the cute names for their various baked goods and specialty coffees. Like ‘Deja Brew’ and ‘You Mocha Me Crazy.’ I laughed a little under my breath, musing on how most New Yorkers took themselves too seriously for these kinds of silly things.

I waited patiently for the older woman in front of me to place her order, which took longer than it should have because she was talking to the man behind the counter about everything from an update on her dog’s last visit to the vet to the story of her granddaughter’s piano recital. This was another thing anyone back home would never have tolerated. I thought back to the woman on the bus who scolded me to keep it moving and could easily imagine the average person I was used to passing on the streets each morning standing in this coffee shop now and doing the same thing. Chastising a sweet, old lady and interrupting a perfectly delightful conversation.

But maybe I just felt that way because I was here on a vacation of sorts. The only thing I had to do was start fixing up my mom’s house to sell, which I was in no hurry to do after my long trip. If it weren’t for that, I was certain my big city mentality of always being in a hurry would be raging in full force.

“Be sure to send me the video of that,” the man nodded with a smile. “Have a great day, Mrs. Delaney.”

“You too, Charles. Tell Dawn I said hello.”

Both of their voices were twanged with a thick southern drawl, which I found to be quite charming. As the woman gathered her bag of treats and stepped aside, she turned to me and looked a little surprised.

“Oh, hello, dear,” she smiled wide. Her eyes dropped down the length of my outfit. If there was any doubt that my fashion sense didn’t fit in here, it was confirmed now. But she quickly recovered, flashing an even bigger smile than before to compensate for the awkward exchange. “Beautiful day out, isn’t it? And so quiet now that the tourists are trickling out.”

I stammered for a moment, feeling taken back that this random stranger would want to talk to me about the weather. I also didn’t know how this day in Silver Point compared to any other, with or without tourists, so I was at a loss for how to respond.

“Oh, y-yes,” I stammered, nodding earnestly.

“Have a great day,” she waved, passing me to walk out the shop’s front door.

“You too,” I offered in a meek voice. When was the last time I said that to someone in passing, in a coffee shop? Someone who wasn’t even the barista, at that.

“Hello there,” the man behind the counter said, also giving me a strange head-to-toe glance. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here before.”

“Oh, you haven’t.” My smile faded slightly. He didn’t know it, but the theme of the day seemed to revolve around me getting smacked in the face with a giant wall of guilt at every turn. All the universe seemed to care about was reminding me that I’ve never been here…but I should have been.

“You here on vacation? Grabbing coffee for the road? Or are you a straggler?”

He quickly fired the questions at me so fast that I didn’t know which one to start with. I wasn’t used to being interrogated about my reasons for why I was there in the middle of ordering coffee.

“Uh, yeah. Vacation. Sort of. Umm…my mom…she owns, or I guess she owned one of the lake houses over on Mullins Cove. She, uh, passed away recently. I’m here to fix it up to go back on the market.”

His features drooped, his eyes were suddenly filled with such a sincere sadness that was surprising from a stranger. “I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t think I knew your mother well, but I know the house you’re talking about. The gray one, right?” He clicked his tongue and shook his head. “That one’s gonna need a lot of work. That roof is shot.”

Great. How encouraging,I thought to myself.

He reached across the counter towards a row of business cards, each in their own neat little stacks, showcasing the array of local businesses and services around town. After plucking one from the top, he flicked it up in front of me to take. “Mullins Handymen. Give them a call.”

“Thank you. I will.” I took the card and slid it into my bag. It was strange for these people to care about me so much, but then again, I did stick out like a sore thumb.

“But I’m guessing you didn’t come in here for my home repair recommendations.”

In a daze, I replied, “Sorry, what?”

He laughed a little, pointing behind him. “I imagine you stopped by for some coffee. What can I get you?”

“Oh, yes,” I laughed in embarrassment. “Coffee. I did. Can I get…the, uh,Better Latte Than Never? Iced, please.”

It felt ridiculous to say out loud, and it was also just another bitter reminder that I was here too little, too late. It did not feel like it was better late than never to me. I would have avoided ordering it altogether, but, I couldn’t resist the blend of hazelnut coffee and cinnamon the description boasted. It sounded like just the warm, soothing comfort I needed to fill me up at that moment.

“Coming right up.” His face filled with a warm friendliness before he set off to whipping the concoction up for me.

There was no one behind me in line, so I stood there and watched him work, darting back and forth in the small coffee-centric kitchen. He knew all the right buttons to push, all the right levers to pull, and the smells that filled the air as he went were so lovely I closed my eyes for a few seconds to take them in with big, long inhales.

“Here you go, uh…Oh, I’m sorry. I never got your name,” he said as he slid the to-go cup across the counter.

“Melody,” I replied. “Melody Hart.”

“Welcome to Silver Point, Melody. I’m Charles Long. I hope you’ll come by and see me a lot while you’re here in town.”

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