Little Blessings

Somewhere in Amy’s groggy mind, the sound of an alarm registered. “Alarm...turn it off,” drifted lazily through her subconscious. Suddenly, startling questions began popping up in her drowsy mind. “Off? Alarm? What time is it?” Amy’s eyes flashed open to see that the alarm she had set on her phone had been going off for 20 minutes. “Well, I better move,” she thought, as she hopped out of bed, and began flying around her apartment, gathering clothes, make up, and anything else she might need. 

This was not how Amy usually liked to prepare herself for every busy day. Amy more typically enjoyed waking at least an hour before it was time to be at work, not because she couldn’t get ready quickly, but because she enjoyed taking things at her own pace at home. As a writer for the Daily News, her life was often hectic, especially at work. Waking up early allowed Amy the time to enjoy her morning in a way that was peaceful, and offered her a small break from the chaos that took up more of her time than she cared to admit. As Amy threw her brown, wavy hair into a nice, but slightly messy bun, she glanced at the clock. “Shoot! I’ve missed the bus!” she thought angrily. Amy had just missed her first choice for transportation to the office. Her preferred bus stop was about two blocks away, nestled between a quaint family park and one of the best coffee shops in a two-mile radius. It was a calm, quiet place to start her day, but there wouldn’t be another bus that stopped there heading towards her office for another 30 minutes and she was already running late. “I guess it’ll be plan B, today,” Amy thought dejectedly. 

It was a bright, chilly morning, as Shae sat on the bus stop bench outside the Hightower Apartments. She had just dropped off her son at the day care center around the corner and was waiting for the bus to whisk her off to the diner that she worked at. Shae was still holding the hot chocolate she had gotten for her son, but that he had decided he didn’t want, despite the begging he had done for it since waking. Shae was just thinking to herself that she didn’t know what to do with it, seeing as she had bought herself a large coffee when she bought his hot chocolate. She didn’t want to have wasted the money she just spent, or the beverage itself. Just then a tall, well dressed, flustered looking young woman hurried out of the apartment complex, quickly approaching the bus stop. 

“Have I missed it?” she asked Shae as she got closer. 

“The bus?” Shae tried to verify. 

“Yes, of course. I apologize, I woke up late today, I haven’t even had a cup of coffee yet, and I’m in a bit of a rush,” Amy explained quickly. 

“It’s all good. To answer your question, no, you haven’t missed the bus,” Shae informed her. “We’ve got about ten minutes until it arrives.”  

“Oh, good,” Amy exclaimed, visibly relieved, and sat down next to Shae.  

Shae looked back at the unwanted hot chocolate, and came to a conclusion. “Hey, I have a hot chocolate I just bought for my son, but he decided he didn’t want it. I don’t want to waste it, and I know it’s not coffee, but you’re free to have it, if you’d like,” she said with a friendly smile.  

Amy immediately thought about how cold she was, and how kind it was for this woman to offer her a hot beverage that she had already paid for. “Sure, that actually sounds great right now,” she replied and accepted it humbly. After taking a quick sip, Amy expressed how delicious it was. 

“Oh yeah, it’s the best around here. I got the coffee and hot chocolate at Andy’s OneStop Coffee Shop, just down that way,” Shae replied, gesturing to her right. 

“That’s actually my favorite coffee place,” Amy said and took another sip. “It’s crazy, I had actually thought I was barely going to make it down here in time for the bus. I definitely thought that I wouldn’t have time to make it to Andy’s and back. Usually, I take the bus that stops over there, but I overslept this morning and missed it. Thanks so much for this."

“It would appear that my son’s indecision this morning was just the little blessing you needed,” Shae laughed, pondering this, as she sipped her coffee. 

“It would, make sure to thank him for me,” Amy acknowledged. “So, where are you headed?” she asked. 

“I’m headed over to Mickey’s. I’m a server there.” 

“Mickey’s? I’ve never been there. How’s the food?” 

“Well, it’s really great, if you don’t work there and eat it all the time,” Shae answered. “How about you? Where are you headed this morning?” 

“I’m headed to the Daily News building. I work there as a writer.” 

“Really? That sounds exciting! I recently read a piece about the elementary that I’ll be sending my son to next year from the Daily News. It was very informative, and it was part of what made me decide to send him there. It sounds like they are doing incredible things for those children.” 

“That is even more crazy than the hot chocolate,” Amy said. 

“What is?” Shae inquired. 

“I actually wrote that article,” Amy informed her. “It’s nice to know that my writing is that compelling.” 

At that moment, the bus rounded a corner, heading for the bus stop. 

“Well, time to take on the day!” Shae announced, standing up. 

“Looks like it,” Amy agreed, standing up, as well. “Thanks again..” 

“It’s Shae, and you’re very welcome,” Shae said. “What’s your name?” 

“Amy.” 

“Amy, nice to meet you. I hope to see you around more often,” Shae said, as she stepped up to the bus doors. 

“Same here!” Amy replied, thinking she just might have to give Mickey’s a shot if she could manage to get a lunch break today. Maybe she could be a blessing just as much as she could receive a blessing.