The rules for my job as a Barista for Sunlight in a Cup café were simple. Make the best coffee. Do it efficiently. Do it with a smile. No questions asked. The last bit was kind of multi faceted. The first part revolving around the fact that when I was given an order by my superiors, I needn’t ask questions and the next part being that I never asked the customers questions as well. Just serve with a smile and that was it.
Oh, no flirting with the female customers as well.
But the first time I saw Mrs. Lawson, I knew I couldn’t stop at merely a smile. Maybe it was her hair. Bright, brilliant auburn hair that complemented her heart shaped face. Or maybe it was her Angelina Jolie smile. Her Cupid’s bow lips stretched wide, and eyes that were filled with mystery and intrigue. But no, it was more than that. It was her bag. Every day, she carried a different tote bag, each with their own unique sayings. “Existing Not Living,” was the very first one of hers I saw.
She gave me a bright smile when I asked what it meant.
“Oh, it’s nothing, darling. Merely an announcement.” She sent me another thousand watt smile and I knew not to ask any further questions. I simply nodded and handed her cups of coffee to her. One purely black and the other, a latte.
Mrs. Lawson speedily became the highlight of my otherwise boring job as a barista. Her radiant auburn hair, her million dollar smile and her tote bag became all I looked forward to. I’d seen so many designs now. From plain, simple words like “Coffee” to phrases like, “Ever Heard About Chemicals.” It was all wild and eccentric, especially since I couldn’t understand most of what the tote said.
Mrs. Lawson came in every morning at exactly 9am, flashing a smile and turning heads till she reached the counter. At exactly 10 past nine, she’d leave with her usual two cups of coffee in hand, laughing mirthfully as she’d say, “Simply perfect for tomorrow.” She said those exact words in the same manner every day. She wasn’t your regular woman but I didn’t mind. Just being the one to hand coffee to her every day was enough for me.
On the second to the last day I saw Mrs. Lawson. Her tote bag read, “No More Authority.” It had been a year since she started coming to Sunshine in a Cup, and while she had not yet lost her novelty in my eye, I had since stopped quirking an eyebrow at her eccentricity. Merely accepted them and tried not to read too much meaning into them.
On the last day I saw Mrs. Lawson, I knew something was not right. She did have her usual bright smile but they didn’t quite meet her eyes this time. Also, her tote bag had the longest line yet. “So you really thought Happily Ever Afters existed?” She collected her two cups of coffee with a mirthless, pain-fogged smile and somehow, I knew I would never see her again.
And I didn't.
But I heard the news. Of how she’d been putting little drops of methyl iodide in her husband’s coffee till he had a stroke. And how on the night of the last day I saw her, she'd hacked him to pieces before taking her own life. I didn’t know what Mrs. Lawson’s story was or what had pushed her to do the things she did. But I couldn’t help wondering. Maybe if I didn’t back down at her bright smiles, and maybe struck a conversation. Maybe if I had pushed to being her friend and not just the fanboy Barista. Maybe she wouldn’t have gone this far. Maybe.... maybe....maybe.
Jhymi🖤
Story inspired by Freewrite Daily Prompt: No More Authority.
Image created by Meta Ai.
