The Glass Dove

Jennica

“Jennica? I think it’s your turn for a coffee run.” Dani said, pointing to the rotation schedule. 

“I had a feeling it was. Who’s all in?” I asked as I suddenly got very hungry, thinking about a hot chai latte with a donut to eat. 

“The usual crowd. Those new special order pads are in the office, you just have to ask Kat for them.” I nodded and said I’d be back soon. 

At our company branch, the managers take turns getting drinks from the local cafe (who we have stock in) when we have our weekly morning meetings. It’s paid for using the company’s credit card. And according to Dani, the new order pads are finally here. 

It was a mess trying to get so many orders scrambled onto a small notepad. But our boss came up with a new system after a disaster that left everyone angry with one another because of miscommunication. 

Everyone looked hopeful as I walked past, the managers and other higher-ups knew it was my day. I’m the type of customer that will stand up for my order- if it gets messed up, I expect you to fix it. I’m paying you for a reason, here. Get it done right. I didn’t become a lead manager for nothing. 

So everyone knows their orders will be perfect when I’m in charge. 

Other employees are allowed to place orders, but are responsible for paying for themselves since they’re not a part of the meetings. 

Kat handed over the company card and the new order slips. Once I took everyone’s order, I was off. 

***

Xavier

“Oh my god, will you hurry up?” Alexandra harshly whispered at me. As a result, my hands got shaky and I couldn’t pour the drink correctly, so she had to do it. 

“Look, man, this is what you get for having me start my first day on your busiest.” I sighed, taking my gloves off and stepping out of her way. “And I told you I only work at the register for a reason.” 

“Xavier, I don’t have time for this. If you want to be sidelined, go sit in the office until the rush is over. I really don’t care.” Alexandra sighed, pointing to the door. I shook my head and walked out to the register to take more orders. 

In the crowd of people before me, most of them were dressed in business suits, impatiently staring at me, yelling about how they had meetings and jobs to get to. Shouting about how I needed to stop messing around and do my job. 

Look, man, I get that you have a good paying 9-5 but it’s a Monday morning and there are dozens of people that I have to take orders from within the first hour of my shift- I’m busy, too. 

“Hi, what can I get for you?” I put on a fake smile and started doing whatever I could to make this day go by literally any faster than it was. 

***

Jennica

The barista stared at me as if I had three heads or something. 

Is he new here? Does he not understand how this works? Is this is his first rodeo? 

“You’re ordering…all of this?” he asked, slowly. I nodded slowly in response. 

“Alexandra?” he called. 

My friend Alexandra peeked around the corner from the kitchen and smiled once she saw me. “Hey, Jenn!” 

“You know her?” the barista asked. Alex nodded.

“Did you know about this huge order?” Alex nodded again. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” This time, she rolled her eyes. 

“Because we’ll take care of it, move.” Alex stepped up to the cash register and typed something before looking at me. “What do you have today?” 

I handed her the order slips and she grinned, asking if these were the ones she recommended. We talked about work and how the company is doing as she went and put everything in. 

The whole transaction was seamless, both the cash orders for the few non-manager employees and the credit card payments for the rest of us. 

I took a seat at the counter while I waited for the orders. After a few minutes, half were done and the barista came back out to tend to some other customers and clean up a little bit. 

“So, what do you do?” he asked, leaning against the counter opposite to me. I just stared at him. 

He sighed and stood up. “Yeah, yeah, I’m a minimum wage barista who gave you a hard time at the coffee shop, and you’re probably some big-time CEO of the business around the block, and I don’t have the right to be speaking to you. My bad.” 

“I didn’t say that. I’m just wondering why you’re sitting here yapping when you should be filling my order.” I said. 

He looked shocked to say the least. 

“You’re the server, so serve me. Do your job so that I can go back and do mine. I’m the top manager at my company trying to get back so we can hold our meeting. But you’re standing here not doing your job.” 

Alex came around the corner and made eye contact with me. “Your orders are almost ready. Are we putting them in the van?” 

“Yes, thank you.” I told her. She smiled and vanished once more. 

“Just because you have a better job than me doesn’t mean you can be so rude. I’m up here trying to make conversation being a good register worker, trying to make sure that my customer isn’t bored out of their mind while they wait for their order. It’s my first day. I work up here, not back there. Don’t tell me how to do my job when you don’t even know what it is that I’m supposed to be doing.” 

He walked away and left me to think for myself. 

***

Xavier

Alexandra found me in the break room and asked if I would help load that chick’s van up with orders. She could tell that I didn’t want to, so she mumbled something about how the sooner we get this done, the sooner the woman could leave. 

While we loaded the drinks into the trunk, the woman was down the street looking at shops. She was looking in the front window of the shop next door when I walked up to her to say we were done. 

“That’s a really beautiful dove, isn’t it?” she said, pointing to a large glass figurine sitting on a pedestal. 

“I suppose. Wish it was a lighter blue.” I shrugged. “Looks like something my mom used to have when I was a kid. Anyway, we’re ready for you.” 

“You’ve had something like this before?” she asked, eyeing me up and down, which I found quite rude. What, because I chose to work at a coffee shop, I couldn’t have nice things growing up? 

“Yes. We had many nice things at my childhood home.” I said stiffly. “I only work here because I’m-” 

“I really don’t need to hear your life story.” she laughed. 

“Oh, I think you do.” I turned to face her and crossed my arms against my chest. “I grew up on the East Side, here. My dad is the mayor. My mom worked in business all her life. If my parents are such important people, you’re probably wondering why I’m working at a lowly coffee shop if I certainly should have every opportunity to do whatever I want.” 

She remained silent, clearly somewhat humbled by my background. 

“Growing up, my grandparents lived in the apartment complex on the other side of this block. I stayed with them in the mornings, and we always stopped here before my grandpa would take me to school in the morning. My mom owns this company. We sold that glass dove recently after my grandma’s death.” 

“I’m sorry.” was all she said for a while. “I’m Jennica.” 

“Xavier.” I replied gruffly. 

“I’m one of the managers at a nearby company. We do coffee runs here every Monday morning when we have our weekly meetings. We’ve got stock in this company.” she explained. 

“You should probably get back, then. All of your stuff is in the truck.” I told her. I turned to walk away but she reached out for my shoulder. 

“My parents were well off while I was growing up. But they never supported me much. My father was the money-maker while my mother stayed at home and raised us. They were traditional people- husband works, wife takes care of the house and the children. The glass dove that we had was a family symbol of tradition and showed that life was fragile and that it should be kept the same way, always. I grew up too early in order to make something of myself, and sometimes I can be too harsh on other people. I apologize for how I acted today.” she said. 

My eyes met hers and I nodded in understanding. “I get it, not everyone is great at interacting with people who are less than them.” I smiled a little to let her know I was joking. And she smiled back. 

“We have different backgrounds, but it’s funny that a glass dove gave us something that we had in common.”