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I've always loved coffee.
The sweet aroma as it filled the air.
Coffee was something both my dad and I shared a love for.
I remember on my fifteenth birthday, he pulled me out of bed, took me to the kitchen where he brewed a cup of coffee, handed it to me saying,"Son you are a man now and men drink coffee".
It became our morning ritual. My mum preferred her spicy tea so unfortunately, she wasn't a part of it.
As I sat down in front of the porch staring ahead, it felt like ages ago.
My father had only passed away a month ago and since then, I couldn't bring a cup of coffee to my lips.
I peeped into the house through the window. My mother was doing the same thing she had done for a whole month, just sit with a pen in her hand, staring at her book.
I had lost my zeal for coffee, she lost her zeal to write.
The wind blew my hair into my face.
It had really grown out the past month. If my father was here, he would have said, "Get me makeup Mary, our son wants to be a girl".
We would have laughed about it.
I really missed him.
For ten years, I had passed the same street on my way to school and I had never seen the sign or the cafe.
Travel through time with Coffee
I don't know why I stopped, all I wanted to do was move past anything that reminded me of him.
Yet, I found myself I front of the smiling barista.
"Is this your first time here?"
I nodded.
"Would you like a cup of coffee? I would recommend our special roast. You close your eyes, imagine where you want to go in time,take a sip and you be right there. Just try not to drop the cup if not you'll come right back here".
"You are trying to tell me the sign out there wasn't lying and this coffee would really let me travel through time?"
She smiled affirmatively, "Would you like a cup?"
"No".
I turned around to leave.
"You know trying won't hurt you".
I paused and that was how I found myself in a booth with the special coffee in my hand.
I closed my eyes and thought back to my fourteenth birthday.
I took a sip and suddenly there was a bright flash of light, I felt my body lift and when I opened my eyes, I was back at home.
"You don't like the taste?"
I looked up from the cup in my hands.
"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"
"Dad?"
I ran to him crushing him with a hug careful not to let go of the coffee.
"Wow, I didn't know you would like coffee this much. I would have fed it to you a long time ago".
"You are here".
"Yes I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
I spent the rest of the day with him just laughing and talking like the good old days. I knew the day had to end so I hugged him one last and dropped the cup. I was transported back to the coffee shop.
From that day, I would leave my mum staring at her book and go to the cafe.
I would close my eyes and imagine a point where I wanted to see my dad. I did it everyday for the next three months.
Now the thing about going to be past was that I had to be careful not to change anything that happens or would change the course of time.
Another thing was that I had to avoid my past self and I had succeeded so far.
I knew what was going to happen so I always managed to beat the past me to it and spend time with my dad.
As usual, I went to the coffee shop, got the special roast and went back in time to the day of my first football game.
I walked into the locker room to meet with my Dad and unlike how it had happened in the past, I was already there talking to my mum.
"He keeps saying we do things together but I hardly ever see him".
"Honey I'm sure your Dad is just busy with work".
"No. Something is wrong. It's like he doesn't even see me or care anymore".
The commentator announced the start of the game and I hid as my past self walked past me but not before I caught the pain in his eye.
My mum followed him behind.
I had been so caught up in living a dream that I had forgotten about my own reality and the reality I was stealing.
"Hey, why aren't you dressed for the game Son".
I blinked as I stared at my Dad.
"And I didn't want to say anything but I think I must have infected you with my love for coffee too much".
I laughed, "You know I love you right? and I will always make you proud".
"Of course I know. I'm so proud of you".
I hugged my father one more time and with tears in my eye, I let the cup fall to the ground.
I opened my eyes as the barista smiled at me, "Did you finally find what you were looking for?"
I smiled back, "I did".
I got home and as soon as I opened the door, the aroma of coffee filled my nostrils.
"Mum what are you doing?"
"I'm making us coffee".
"But you don't drink coffee".
"These past months have been really hard and I haven't been of much help, so this is me trying".
She handed me a cup.
"You know I love you right Mum?"
"I know".She smiled.
My eye caught her notebook and the page was filled with ink.
I smiled, "Mum?"
"Yes honey?"
"We are going to be fine".
"Yes we are".