Old Time Cafe

  I was lost in thought on my way to work one morning, when I bumped into someone talking on their cell phone. I looked up to see a face I had not seen in over five years; I felt my face grow hot when they looked down with surprise to see that it was me. Our eyes met and all the memories flooded back to me, like it was just yesterday. His grew a slight pinkish color as he then said he had to go and hung up the phone and just stared at me, staring at him. A gust of wind broke the silence, he stuttered as he spoke; asking if I’d like to go get some coffee, taken back; I explained I had to work and if he was interested I’d meet him afterwards. He agreed I told him to meet me at my work after six o’clock I asked if he knew where the Old Time coffee House was, he nodded a hug was exchanged then I kept walking, looking back time to time to see if he had taken a second glance back as well, I was right and he did a few times.

 All day while I was working, my mind was on the one that got away. It had been so long since the last time I saw him, we were both in our late teens early twenty’s when we first met. He was full of life, never took no for an answer, while I was more on the quiet side. I wanted to control everything, had problems just going with the flow of things. We were a match made in heaven, things that he needed to learn patience on I was there to help him to take a breath, when I started to freak out because of lack of control, he remind me life waits for no one so I needed to take life by it’s horns and just let go. Our arguments were not easily fixed, we were both very stubborn and had problems admitting our faults, but when times were good, they were amazing. Life just flowed, the fun times we had I would laugh and laugh for what felt like an eternity. There was this one time, we and a few of his friends were hanging out in a pool; at the time I was still pretty scared of swimming, but you know what this guy did, he hugged me from behind and made us fall into the pool. After my initial screams were over, he helped me breathe to relax and told me he would always be there for me no matter what life had instore for us. He looked me dead in the eyes my face cupped into his hands and said he would never be more than a call away.

 Looking back, though we were childish, life was fun and simple. Now in my mid to late twenty’s, I’m looking back at the last five years of my life and started to question everything; wither I was happy and fulfilled, if I felt full with nothing left that I wanted out of life. The answer was simple, I was not. Sure, my life at the café was charming, I have met quite a few interesting people in my time working there. People from all walks of life, seen children get help with their homework, seen bullies get their come up pins, fights between husbands and wives. Still something was missing, at the worst possible time I drifted into lala land so to speak thinking of what could be missing; when his face appeared in my mind and at that instant I knew. When I met with him after work, I had to find out what he wanted to catch up on and why he had that look on his face while he hugged me. I needed to know if he was really missing from my life and if he felt that I was missing from his.

 The day seemed to tick by ever so slowly, sitting on my lunch I went back and forth on the things I would say; how I would say them as to not come off odd or anything. Thoughts kept racing through my mind of what he has been doing these last few years, how life has treated him, he did not seem so happy with his phone call, should I ask about it? I do not want to come off as noisy, but curiosity is getting the better of me. How is he handling the day, is he thinking similar thoughts as me? Ugh I feel like I am losing my mind just going over this conversation that has not even happened. There is no point in dwelling on this, but I cannot seem to shake this. When I think I am over with the constant overthinking, bam hits me again. I should not be agenizing over this; I just need to make it to six o’clock.

 Five in the evening finally rolled around, I could not stop watching the clock. Starting with my usual closing chores, I began to wipe down the counters, the tabletops and the chairs; when I looked up because I heard the bell for the door jingle. Sure, as shit it was him, I looked at the clock it was only five fifteen. Damn was he early, either he was eager to get this conversation over with or just could not take the suspense any longer. I glanced back at him and explained I have a few more things to do before I would be finished closing for the night, he asked what I had left to do and if he could help. I nodded my head tossed him a rag and pointed at the tables and chairs across the room. He caught the rag, he started to wipe the tables down, but kept looking up in my direction. Our eyes met a few times, I decided to be the one to break the ice. Before a sound one came out of my mouth, he spoke and asked how I have been. I chuckled and said you took the words right out of my mouth, I explained I happened  into this coffee shop a few years back and fell in love with the atmosphere asked the owners if they were hiring they said no, but you look like you could use it so they hired me, now I am not just a waitress, I manage the store as well. I asked him the same question, he responded with he had traveled like he had wanted to, saw the Statue of Liberty, how some down-home soul food down south. He said he had met some interesting people, I asked what made him come back home, he said he had heard great things about the Old Time café from several people and how it was run by this spunky red head. He had to come down and see for himself wither it was me running it or not, he had to see how I was doing, if I was happy or not if I had found someone and had gotten married. I explained nope, I was not married, and for awhile until I ran into him earlier, I considered myself to be happy. I confessed that after I ran into him earlier, I started to rethink my life and if I had lived it to the fullest so far and if I felt if I was missing something. I confessed that I felt like he was what I was missing, I felt my cheeks grow hot and knew I was blushing. I tried to turn away quickly, but he caught me mid spin and cupped his hands around my face like he had done so many years ago and said he had wondered for so long if my feelings for him had changed. I looked up from the floor and expressed no, my feelings for him never went away and that I thought I would never see him again. Embarrassed, I tried to walk away, he would not let me go, just kept holding my face in his hands staring at me. Finally, after what seemed like an entreaty, he brushed my lips with his thumb, I closed my eyes because it was so nice and soothing to feel his hands on my face. He kissed me before I opened my eyes, it was a deep, sensual kiss, the kind you can get lost in, that makes your whole body feel tingly. I let myself become lost in time with him all over again, I pulled him closer to me and he wrapped his arms around me and deepen, it seemed as though everything, all my worries, anything that had me bothered has just melted away.