Tales from the coffee shop - Unfamiliar territory

He found himself in the contrived, understated - yet cleverly decorated atmospheric coffee shop. Tired, slightly irritable, hungry and in need of a drink. Something had lured the burly man inside.

Looking from left to right as he entered. Bushy eye brows slightly furrowed as he took in what greeted him. A colourful collection of people sat around at laptops or conversing amongst one another.

They looked "different" in his opinion. Some were dressed silly, a few of the men had thick beards and ridiculously gelled hair. Some of the women looked as though they had been shopping in Oxfam. These thoughts passed through his mind. Weirdos.

He shook his head and moved towards the counter. Eyes homing in at the interesting looking girl positioned behind it - who flashed a big red lipstick smile at him. Dressed as though she had been transported from a bygone era. Lipstick was also on her tooth.

"Tea and a ham butty." His broad colloquial tone was deep and undiluted and straight to the point. He hadn't even looked at the menu or register that this haunt was a vegetarian one.

"Erm, sorry - we do not sell meat of any kind here, strictly veggie." She smiled back.

"Huh?! Oh..." Screwing up his masculine face. "Well I am hungry, and want something to eat and drink." He scanned the menu behind her up on the wall. The food options may as well have been in Dutch for all he was concerned.

"Just give me a soup and some bread then would ya." His sentences were not punctuated with any form of politeness or warmth.

"Oh, you would like the soup of the day, Lentil and Butternut squash it is. With lovely fresh seeded granary bread, very good choice."

"Yeah, whatever." He retorted.

"Could I recommend our delightful Ginsing tea? or maybe you would prefer Chai...you do look a little uptight, maybe Ginsing... do you like granola? we have that in today. Then again Peppermint is calming - fancy that??"

His eyes widening in disbelief. Then frowned again. All he could hear was foreign words spouting out of her lipstick mouth.

"Any tea! Just wanna drink!"

Sat at an old looking wooden table staring at his unfamiliar purchases he overheard an older couple nearby discussing Marxism and how they felt about it. He assumed they must have meant Marks and Spencer. Shrugging his broad shoulders he took a spoon of the warm soup that lay in waiting before him. Face instantly recoiling as his taste buds rejected the alien experience.

The relaxing music complemented the days fine weather, as the suns warm rays shone nicely through the open coffee shop windows.


Submitted by Demola, The Collective