Tales of a Part-Time Coffee Addict, Part Five

This morning was no different than any other morning. Except I was out of ground coffee.

I searched all my cupboards and found only a container of instant coffee that must have been sitting behind my spices for the past few years. I checked the expiration date: 08/14/2016. No thanks.

Then I had a decision to make. Do I head to the store and buy some or do I head to a coffee shop? I’d be spending gas either way, and it’s five dollars for one coffee versus ten for a month’s worth.

And that’s how I came to be here.

It’s a nice little cafe on a busy corner downtown. The weather is beautiful, so I bought my latte (caramel and vanilla, double shot, thank you very much) and sat at one of the small wrought iron tables on the sidewalk.

People glance at me as they walk by, but I’m loving the sunshine. I close my eyes and tilt my head back to soak it in. I’m glad I’m on this side of the street, or I’d be in the shadows and shivering.

People watching is a fine skill to have. That woman is skeptical of me because I’m doing nothing. That man’s toddler is curious and almost comes over to me, but the man holds the child’s hand tight and keeps walking forward and past.

The wind picks up, and the fine weather turns colder. I shiver and hold my cup close, breathing in the scent of my sweetened coffee and the warmth contained within.

I almost forget that it isn’t quite summer yet.

When I’m finished with my drink, I walk back to my apartment. It isn’t far, and that’s another reason I like this cafe. It’s close.

But I still have a coffee shortage in my apartment. I’ve already splurged, and now I’ll have to splurge more. I sigh and make the difficult but necessary sacrifice to drive to the store and buy more coffee grounds. It’s about time I bought real food, anyway.