The only thing on my mind as I hurriedly made my way to work was the giddy feeling in my neck that I’d get when I finally bought my cup of espresso.
My usual routine was to get to my office building 20 minutes early, drop my bags and settle in, and then spend the remaining minutes before work started at the nearby café adjacent to my building.
It was too late to do that though; I was already 30 minutes behind schedule. I had already planned to go straight to the office, but as I turned the corner, I came across a café that I didn’t remember seeing on my route to work.
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The sign read “Taste Buds.” What a weird name for a coffee spot, I thought to myself. But that wasn’t the weirdest part. In front of the door stood a young man wearing a coffee mug costume. His eyes looked sullen; he stared at me with an expression that made me forget my predicament. For some reason, his gaze lured me into this strange café.
I rerouted and proceeded to walk through the wooden door. As I stepped in, my nostrils were greeted with the aroma of roasted coffee beans and caramel. The scent was so strong, it almost knocked me over.
After recovering from that, I took another step in, and that’s when I was able to visually take in the environment. It felt like I’d stumbled upon an alternate universe. The walls were all coated in baby pink paint; on the counter was a giant bubble gum machine. And in front of it was a long line of people waiting their turn.
At first glance, they looked like normal people, but on a closer look, I observed that they had glowy skin and pink eyes. They also all had the exact same facial expression: a lazy smile, like that of a breastfed baby high on breast milk.
I decided to get my coffee and leave as swiftly as possible. As I strolled to the back of the line, I was finally able to make out the barista. When my eyes landed on him—or it—I all but spazzed out.
The creature making our coffee stood at 6 feet, with a furry face resembling a cross between a cat and a bird. It had whiskers and a beak for lips. From the neck downward was a human body, and it was muscular. It also had glowy skin and pink eyes. Its nametag read “Richard.”
I was freaking out inside, but the calm energy in the room was so contagious, I didn’t feel any alarm bells ringing. In the background somewhere, Luther by Kendrick Lamar and SZA was playing.
When my turn finally reached, Richard gestured for me to move closer. I took one tiny step forward and kept a small distance. He then leaned into me, gave me a paper, and instructed me to press the huge red button on the bubble gum machine.
I tapped it, and a red bubble gum rolled out. I picked it up; it had the number two inscribed on it. So he nudged me to read out the number 2 option on the paper he handed to me earlier.
It read, “You have three coffee wishes.”
“Alright, madam,” said Richard in a soothing deep tone. “Here is your cup of coffee. But you must take the first three sips here at the counter. And with each sip, you must make three wishes. Then you are free to go.”
“Oh,” I didn’t believe in it for a second, but I went along with it because I was running late. So I carried my cup and brought it to my lips. I thought for a bit and then wished for the spirit of discipline. I wanted to have a super laser focus on my goals.
As I gulped it, I felt a tingling sensation travel down my body. Hmm. I closed my eyes again and wished for some money. I mean, I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity. 😅. And sure enough, I got a credit alert right away.
Damn I was so happy I found that coffee place. My third wish was to take me an hour back in time, seeing as I was running super late.
“Your wish is my command,” said Richard; he now had that lazy smile.
I thanked him, grabbed my bags, and made my way to the door. As I left that shop, my eyes felt lighter, and I had a pep in my step. I got to my office building and was one of the first people to arrive. It worked!
I sat down in my chair, set my espresso cup on my desk, and got ready for the day.🙂
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