he was alone in the cafe - it was warm, and he was alone - a table for one - the open fire looked welcoming, but burnt almost too hot for the small cafe - half the tables were empty, so the waitress just told him to sit anyway - he sat by the window, in the corner, at a small table that sat four - he felt guilty, and hoped it didn’t get busier - it was ten thirty in the morning
he hadn’t even looked at the menu when the young waitress stood before him and asked if he’d like to order - she was pretty, and he could tell she was a little shy - he like that in waitresses - he ordered a sugar free soft drink and opened the menu - the first thing he saw was the big breakfast, but he didn't want that - far too big, and he rarely ate breakfast anyway - he ordered the two scones for seven dollars and smiled as the waitress took the menu from him and walked to the kitchen - she didn’t even write down the order, he thought to himself
a young couple sat at one of the tables not far from him - they had a small child in a high-chair with them, who had food and crumbs all over itself - the couple seemed happy, and having their child mess and play with it’s food didn’t seem to bother them - they ate their meal, exchanging short and quiet conversation - for a moment or two he made eye contact with the young child - and with a small smile, he looked back out the window
he hadn’t seen his wife in seven years - he’d call her every now and again - her birthday - christmas and easter - they’d exchange pleasant enough words, until it was only him asking questions, and her giving short answers - until he ran out of questions, and they’d hang up, wishing each other well - he was left staring at the phone in silence, processing the thought and realisation, that it would be up to six months until he would be welcome to call her again
the waitress brought his drink, and poured it for him in a tall glass filled with ice and a black straw - they both watched the drink fall and trickle down the ice until the glass was full - he thanked her, and waited for the bubbles and froth to simmer down a bit before taking a sip
a middle aged man in bright orange fitness clothes walked into the cafe and removed his headphones from his ears - he walked straight to the counter and ordered some sort of coffee - he stood around, talking with the girl behind the counter, and one of the cooks from the kitchen - it didn’t take long for his coffee to be made - he said goodbye and waved to the cooks in the kitchen - he put his headphones back in his ears and walked back outside the door - watching him walk down the street, he noticed his tight and toned calf muscles, fascinated by the way they moved as he walked - then he yawned before the fire popped and sparked out an ember, that got everyone in the cafe’s attention
he was halfway through his soft-drink when the waitress returned to his table with the two scones - he was careful not to finish his drink before the scones arrived, and often had to stop himself from taking another sip - the waitress smiled with her mouth closed - she put the two scones with jam and cream on the table in front of him and said, there you go - he thanked her and picked up a knife to cut open the warm scones
im sorry, excuse me… - she said as her eyes lit up, youthful and bright - she had energy— …are you Courtney’s father? - he nodded and said that, yes he was - the girl nodded and said that he probably wouldn't remember her, but she came over for a sleep-over a couple of times when she and Courtney were both kids - he didn’t really remember her, but he nodded and smiled and asked her how she was going - she told him about how she was doing a business/arts degree, before she took a year off to travel through Europe, spending a month in Japan on her way home - she was working this waitress job just for some money while she figures out what she wants to do next - he told the waitress that she was looking good and happy, and wished her all the best with whatever the future brought her - she then asked about Courtney, and asked how she was going - he hadn’t seen or spoken to her in seven years - her mother never allowed him to speak to her whenever he called - nevertheless, he told the girl that Courtney was doing well, and was also taking some time to figure out what she was doing - the girl smiled, and nodded, saying that that was great - she wished Courtney well, and told him to say hello to her for her, then joked that she should come over for a sleep over again - he thanked her, and said he’d pass on her kind words
he broke open the two scones with the knife, and the steam rose from the middle of the pieces - he scooped out some cream and spread it over the four pieces of scone - then doing the same with the jam - in doing so some remnants of cream now sat in the jam dish - he took a bite and it was good - looking out the window he saw that it begun to rain - just lightly - thin rain - but he could tell that it would’t last very long - he took another sip of his soft drink, and that finished it off - out the window the bird had flown away, and now nothing but rain drops sat and slid atop of the umbrellas outside
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