LET'S GET ROASTED

I reside at Let's Get Roasted cafè in the historic coastal city of Astoria, Oregon. Approximately a year ago I was relocated from my home in a dark, dusty storage unit, where my co-inhabitors were unique forgotten pieces, from a different time and space just like me. Most of us, had either given up hope or could no longer remember a time prior to the present.

Surprisingly, the metal door was raised after hearing sounds of a struggle between the lock and the key. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen natural light. Roughly, many of us were being moved around the unit. Only a select few were chosen. I was amongst the chosen.

Bouncing around in the back of the U-Haul my excitement mounted. Where am I going?, I thought, after a two hour bumpy ride, through hard rain and whistling winds, our journey had finally came to an end. The rough hands of the mover gripped me tightly, removing the blue moving blankets that had been placed around me for my protection.

With my blankets removed, the rain was beating heavily upon the mover and I. Quickly the mover carried me from the U-Haul, up a cobblestone walkway into this quaint little cafè. Once delivered, the owner found the perfect place for me.

My new home was in the corner nook to the left of the entrance. Only two guests can share my space at a time. I am the smallest of all the tables, but I'm most likely the happiest to be part of the group. Now, everyday is the best day ever!

At 5am, the morning baristas set the cafè aglow. Instantly, the atmosphere changed once the lights were turned on. The sounds of coffee beans grinding, and the aroma of expresso and freshly baked scones fill the air with the anticipation of the upcoming unlocking of the doors. I couldn't wait for the coffee going community to pull those heavy doors open, so the onslaught of people would pile in.

Although the chatter was really all that could be heard, there was Indie Rock playing softly in the background. Trying to decipher the chatter, the first sounds of daybreak were multiple requests for lattes, mochas, expresso and baked goods. This free-for-all continues until about 11:30am. Once the rush dies down and the chatter lessens, suddenly the background music is audible again.

The clientele has shifted from the driven morning people on their way to work, to the afternoon guests meeting up on dates, studying or sometimes just briefly escaping the hustle and bustle that exists outside of Let's Get Roasted.

My most cherished part of the day is when a guest runs their fingertips over my smooth multi-colored tiles, remaking on how beautiful I am. My tiles create a yellow and orange sun setting on the large variety of shades of blue, that create an ocean. I am so happy to spend the rest of my existence here collecting compliments. No longer must I spend my days and nights alone, crammed into a 5'×10' dark, dusty overstuffed storage unit.

In this warm cozy cafè, I'm filled with appreciation for the conglomerate of different people, conversations and emotions. Our guests seemed pleased by my presence. No matter the weather, everything was always better at Let's Get Roasted Cafè.

Today the skies were gray, the temperatures were low and the rain was coming down in sheets. The town was full of people struggling to escape the elements and warm themselves up. Trying to cross the threshold of the cafè was like an obstacle course. Upon opening those doors, gusts of chilled wind would not only push them in, but also a continuous mist of rain.

The cafè filled quickly on days like this. My tiles were so cold. I'm not only looking forward to a couple filling my seats but also them setting their warm coffee cups down. Honestly, today a small spill would feel so good. Hot coffee seeping in between my tiles, instant warmth and the added fragrance all sounded so appealing.

My desire may be gifted to me today, I thought, as a set of ten year old twins were directed, by their very stern mother, to sit down and don't even think about lifting your bottoms out of those seats. I felt for my friends, the seats. These unruly twins were rocking back and forth, trying to balance their weight on the back two legs of the chairs. I assume, that level of pressure could not feel good. Before I could finish my thought, the children were snatched up by their mother and whisked away with only sounds of scolding trailing behind.

Before I could feel unoccupied, a cute high school-aged couple rushed over, setting their coffee cups down on our brown paper napkins. I could feel those round circles of warmth, penetrating the napkins and warming my tiles. I was hoping they would sit, stay, chat and perhaps spill a little hot coffee on me. I was a couple of freshly baked, warm scones away from sitting here empty and alone.

The warm wet towel wiped me down with all purpose cleaner. They really like to keep me clean here. I get washed many, many times a day. In my first month here at Let's Get Roasted Cafè, I had already doubled the amount of washing I had had since my creation. The white towel was like a green light to all the waiting guests with no table, because as soon as the batista moved away from me, my seats would be filled again.

A mature couple, probably in their mid-eighties, slowly settled into their seats. I love older couples. They move slowly, stay long, talk alot and sometimes they spill their coffees.

The day had been going quite well, I had only been unoccupied at the times I was awaiting a wipe down. Enjoying each guest, I had shared my day with, I could never perceived what was next to come.

The sun had set and it was starting to get dark outside. The night staff baristas were beginning to arrive. The evening clientele are such a different collection than the early morning or afternoon ones.

The cafè was so full of energy, it was like Let's Get Roasted was on a caffeine high. People were everywhere; sitting at the tables, standing by the coffee bar and leaning up against the walls while holding their coffee cups to keep warm. The line seemed endless. Everytime the door opened the wind would push in another patron, cold and covered in rain. Eventually, the line was so long the door could not close. The line encompassed people waiting inside, to about a four person wait outside in the rain.

As cold as it was, I could feel the heat rising, emotions flaring up, attitudes shifting, the energy had gone from positive to negative very quickly. I had never experienced anything like this before. The patrons who had been waiting outside, finally made it to the door and they wanted it to stay open. While everyone in front of them, in line, as well as the guests that had already been served wanted the door shut! Voices rose, pushing, shoving, arguments and spilt coffee had overtaken this quaint little cafè.

Things had escalated! People were actually being pushed to the floor. Some of the more aggressive people were having a shoving match. What happened, I thought, as I came crashing down, slammed into the hardwood floor. I could see people fleeing. The police had arrived and the crowd disappated. What just happened? What is happening? WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?!?

When the owner arrived to defuse the situation and assist in the cleanup, she was appalled! Her beautiful little cafè looked like the aftermath of a frat party. I had never seen her so upset, but I had also never seen anything like the road rage trapped in the cafè that was seen today.

Picking me up off the floor, she cried out, "My favorite! Oh no, not my favorite!" I was feeling so loved, when I realized she was talking about me...until she began crying. In the process of my fall, several of my tiles had broken leaving the sun with a huge hole in it. IT WAS DEVASTATING! My mosaic design was my source of beauty. I would be tossed out like garbage or returned to the 5'×10' cell, storage unit, I had been freed from approximately a year ago.

Consumed by my own thoughts, I now feel the damage and useless, barely noticing everything happening around me. All the tables were erect again, the coffee spills had been mopped up and the cafè was starting to look clean again. Nothing felt the same though, the fairytale feeling had faded.

That evening I was moved to the back room, storage area. Deprived of natural light, feeling isolated, missing the people and their conversations. I sat alone in the dark, feeling punished for others terrible behavior. I mourned the loss of my beauty prior to the damage my beautiful mosaic had endured. Months went by and I had been forgotten. Sadly I had given up.

Six months later, the storage room was getting a deep spring cleaning. Light filled the room and noisily things were being moved around. I wasn't really sure what was happening. Moved outside, I thought this was it...the end of the road. My time here on Earth was coming to an end. Loaded into the back of a beat up old 1976 Chevy truck, rain pelted me. Today's weather supported my emotions completely. I had to accept it, it was over.

The roar of the engine had quieted, the truck had came to its resting place. Suddenly, I felt familiar hands on me. It was the owner! She was keeping me! She really does love me! Her home is also my home now. In her sunning room she where I currently reside, with my new best friend, a small potted plant. "Small Plant" sits on top of the scars my mosaic had suffered. Together we are a display of beauty.

Years have passed and I've never felt more loved and whole. At daybreak, sunlight streams in through the windows warming my best friend and I. Everyday the owner enjoys her morning coffee and evening tea.

From time to time, I do miss Let's Get Roasted Cafè, but I will never miss my 5'×10' cell or being forgotten in the dark storage room. Today I feel loved, chosen and appreciated. ...Although, I still wouldn't mind a small coffee spill on a cold winter morning.