One Door Closes, Another Opens

“Unbelievable. Of course this had to happen to me… again!”

Bitterness swelled inside Joe, but he kept walking away from the office he'd once called his workplace. Of course they had said it wasn’t due to any performance issues; the company was just downsizing.

“Why me? Why, why, why?” He said under his breath.

He had thought things were just starting to settle after a year of working for Bluestar, and of course just when he was starting to relax into things, the layoff had come. He sat down on a park bench and put his head into his hands.

“Am I ever going to be able to secure any kind of life for myself?”

A month ago, he had moved into an apartment, the rent being just affordable for him. How could he pay for that now? The idea of moving back into his parents’ house – it seemed like so many steps backwards – he had worked so hard and now all his progress was being undone. As he sat there, he clasped his hands together, shaking ever so slightly, fidgeting with his thumbs. Time passed. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but eventually he felt compelled to get up. Just a block away was the café he used to like to visit at the end of his work day. He decided he would go there and get a coffee, possibly for the last time. He got up and began to walk.

Eventually he was out the front of Amy’s Coffee House, the aroma of ground coffee beans welcoming him. Walking up to the counter, he got in line, staring straight ahead while his mind turned over his recent retrenchment. Soon it was his turn to order.

“Can I get a small extra shot latte.”

Feeling another wave of frustration wash over him, he turned to the person behind him.

“Hey, I can pay for your order. Tell me what you want.”

The man’s eyes widened, and when replying, stammered a little.

“Me? I’m fine.”

Joe scowled. “Come on let me do this. I’ve lost so much today, what’s a few extra bucks?”

Things could have become very awkward, but at the critical moment, a woman spoke up.

“Hey if you want to pay for someone’s order, pay for mine!”

He laughed nervously. “Yeah? No problem, what can I get you?”

The woman sounded bemused. “I’ll get a small cappuccino, and since I’m not paying, a chocolate brownie as well.”

The woman behind the counter raised her eyebrows, but she seemed to want to keep things moving, so soon she had the order ready.

“Alright, a small double shot latte, a small cappuccino, and a chocolate brownie? That’ll be 14.50. You’re paying by card? No problem.”

He held his card to the reader and upon hearing the high-pitched beep, took a step to the side. The woman who had accepted his offer stood next to him.

“So, if you don’t mind, may I ask; what made you want to pay for someone else’s order? Are you paying something forward?

He winced and ran a hand through his hair.

“I got canned. Third time. Thought I finally had my life together, and boom—out the door. So, I figured, screw it, might as well buy someone a coffee.”

“Oof.” She was looking at him sympathetically.

“And I just moved into a really nice apartment after finally getting out of my parents’ house, and now this happens.”

The lady behind the counter, having just finished putting the brownie on a paper plate, handed it over, along with a fork.

“I’m so sorry to hear that… I guess that explains this a little bit. You know what, why don’t you sit down with me. You know what they say, misery loves company.”

“I’d like that.” He replied, his voice betraying a certain level of self-pity.

The lady behind the counter handed them a cardboard tray with their coffees, which he took carefully, then followed the woman to a table and chairs next to the window. They both sat down.

“So, what’s your name?” Asked the woman gently.

“Joe. What’s yours?”

She picked up the fork and began to pick at the brownie. “It’s Lucy. And where did you used to work?”

“Bluestar.” He replied, glumly.

“Hmm. I haven’t seen them around. Must be an office on a floor somewhere?”

“Yeah. I really wanted to get my life together, but like I said, this just keeps happening.”

He sighed and took a sip of coffee, before continuing. “So, what about you, where do you work?”

“I work at Slater and Gordon. I’m the receptionist.”

“I hope they pay you well.”

“It’s enough. For now.”

Joe paused for a moment, looking down at the table. “You know I feel like it’s me vs the world sometimes. And the world keeps getting the best of me! I keep getting hit with all kinds of trouble, but I keep getting back up. Still, it’s a lonely fate.”

Lucy looked at him with a smile on her face. “Joe, I’ve been there. When I first started off as a receptionist for Slater and Gordon, the learning curve was very steep. I had to figure out how to sort the incoming mail, I had to make sure I successfully got it in the first place… if anything went wrong it was my fault, and if everything was going fine, I was invisible. But I toughed it out, and here I am today, still holding down the job. It sounds to me like you’ve just hit a run of bad luck. But you know what? Keep fighting. Hey, I want you to succeed. You know what, I bet you can get another job before you run out of money, and keep that nice apartment you’ve got. I believe in you Joe!”

“Really? Well, thank you.” He was genuinely surprised by her level of empathy. “You know what I think I can do this… I think with a little bit of grit, with a bit of effort, I can find something. But urgh, I just hate looking for work.”

“Hey everyone hates that part of life. Me too. But its only temporary. And the best time to be looking for work is ASAP after your last role. So, you’ve got that on your side at least.”

He let himself smile a bit. “You’re right. Hey thanks for your support on this. You really inspired me.”

Encouraged by her words, he felt a warmth inside him, and a sense of hope. This lady was so kind! And after this it would be such a shame to never see her again. But could he really be sure she meant what she said? It wasn’t normally at a low point in life that you forged new relationships. He began to doubt himself. Would she really want to get to know someone who just been thrown out on his ass? But as a friend once told him, the only way to know was to ask.

 “I don’t suppose I could get your number? It’d just be a shame if this was the last time I ever saw you again.”

There was silence for a moment. He’d seemed to have caught her with a bite of the chocolate brownie in her mouth.

“You know what, sure, I’ll give you, my number.” She smiled at him. “I’m curious to see how this story ends.”

He pulled out his phone.