Peace, Love, and Coffee

“Pete!” I shouted as I entered the coffee house.

“Angela!” He replied from behind the counter. He raised his eyebrows and shook his hands in the air in a sarcastic manner.

“I need a Grande sized double espresso mocha latte.” I ordered, ignoring his sarcastic gesture. I cut the seven or so people in line and leaned against the counter. They were all corporate business woman and men who groaned and rolled their eyes. Half of them knew my usual routine; others didn’t and complained about the unfairness of it all.

“A; that is disgusting. B; that’s not even on the menu.” Pete rolled his own eyes as he placed a lid on a to-go cup for the customer who actually waited in line.

“I need the buzz. And you’ve made it before.” I stuck my tongue out.

“That just proves your insanity.” Pete pivoted his body away from me slightly and faced a man wearing a suit. “How can I help you?”

“One medium black coffee.” He replied. Pete nodded and turned to do his barista thing.

“Pete, please hurry!” I groaned. “I’m going to be late.”

“Well why don’t you come early and wait in line like a normal person? And on top of that – what in the world can you be late for? You don’t have a job.”

“Not true; I just got hired as a waitress at this diner—“

“So get coffee from there!” Pete exclaimed, and gave me his perfected ‘it’s so obvious’ look.

“But the coffee at Paradise is so much better. Plus I think the barista who works here is exceptionally bright and chipper. Always puts me in the perfect mood to start me off on the day.”

“Stop it.”

“And he’s got a cute butt.” I smirked. Pete once again rolled his gray eyes and shook his blonde head.

“Why don’t you go to Starbucks? I hear the barista there has a cute butt too. I hear she also has these huge jugs.” He replied, motioning his hands to his chest.

I sighed deeply and ran a hand through my hair. “Peter.” I said his name in two drawled syllables.

“Angie.” He replied in the same way.

“One Grande sized double espresso mocha latte please.” I smiled, and tried again.

“No. If you want it so badly, wait in line. If not, go somewhere else.” He said in it in a ‘that’s final’ tone, but we both knew it was far from it.

I slammed my open hand on the counter, making a loud noise through the building. “Come on Pete; what would Jesus do?”

“He would part the Red Sea again and throw your ass in it to drown.” He replied without missing a beat.

“That’s Moses.” I rolled my eyes. “If you just make my coffee, I can leave you to work in peace.” I reminded him.

“You know, there’s a thing called social order. Why don’t you go look it up?” He snapped lightly and leaned onto the counter, staring me down.

“Why don’t you get me my Grande sized double espresso mocha latte and it can be done with?” I countered, also leaning on the counter.

“We’ve been here before.” He noted.

“I recognize that tree.” I glared at him. We were silent for a few moments. “I also have a friend named Alexander Hamilton who agrees I should get my coffee.” I waved a ten dollar bill in his face.

“Just give her the coffee!” Someone shouted from the back of the line.
Pete took a deep breath, and finally, dragged the tip jar in between my arms. I smiled and stuck the bill in the large jar. “Thank you.”

Pete turned around and began to make my coffee as I soaked up the glory. I pulled out four more bills from my purse and set them on the counter. The machines Pete used groaned and whistled as he pulled levers and pushed buttons. Finally he turned around and handed me my cup of coffee with an unamused smile. But I could still tell we were fine.

“Thanks babe – for the coffee.” I blew him a kiss and winked as I walked towards the door. “See you tomorrow; ciao!”



The cute boy alone at the booth was looking at me. Not in an ‘I’m staring at you intently’ kind of way; but an intrigued sort of way that said ‘hey, I’ve noticed you. Have you noticed me yet?’ Yes, I had noticed him. Occasionally I would throw him a small smile as I passed him.

“Hey.” He said as I passed his table once again. I was holding two plates of steak for an old couple. “When’s your next break?”

I smiled back at him. “Twenty minutes. Why?”

“Just curious to know,” He replied, “if you’d be interested in spending it with me. I’m Michael, by the way.”

“Hmm.” I hummed. “Well, I’m Angela. I would shake your hand, but I’m kind of busy right now.”

“It’s totally cool.” Michael’s grin grew.

“Well, I have to go get these off my hands before I start to blister.” I replied. “But… I can give you a rain check in twenty.”

“You’re on.”

I smiled and walked away, swerving my hips a little extra just in case he was looking. When I got to the old couple’s table I set the plates down and went back to the main counter. After twenty minutes of delivering and taking orders, I trotted over to Michael’s table again.

What. A. Mistake.

First of all, he was incredibly bland. There was no interior; he was what he was on the outside as he was in. There was no mystery to him at all. He didn’t get my sense of humor when I made jokes, and he had a boring corporate job. Michael also was just on a business trip from Maine, so even if a relationship was worth pursuing with him, there was no chance.

I should have known. There was no sign pointing to this dude. There was no mystical arrow above his head screaming ‘this guy is the one!’ There was nothing compelling or anything that drew me in. He was Michael Portefee. And that was it.

I thought, maybe, as I sat down across from him, that maybe meeting someone handsome and kind on my first day at work might have been a sign. But it was entirely coincidental.

He, so obviously, disagreed and thought this could go somewhere. He even gave me his number and told me to call him in a few days when he was back at home. I smiled and politely took it. But as I walked out of Carol’s Diner I ripped it up and threw it in the air like confetti.

Was it really that awful? Was it so god damned hard to find someone special? I didn’t understand why I couldn’t find someone to pick up the slack; someone to love and to hold. I mean, people have already gotten married and have had children by my age. I haven’t found anyone I could even remotely tolerate in an intimate relationship since high school, which didn’t end well.

“Freaking men.” I muttered as I walked towards my small apartment.

Where was the shooting star that would tear across the sky as the man I was meant to be with crossed my mind? Where was the perfect feeling in the pit of my stomach when I saw him? Where was the spark between us as we exchanged words?

“I think I need a cup of coffee.” I spoke out loud to no one and turned around to go back to Paradise. Even if it was eight at night, I was sure they would be open. I knew them to be open as late as eleven.

Maybe Pete would be there; I could vent to him. He also knew the troubles of finding a soul mate; unfortunately, he had other reasons for not finding the one. His girlfriend of three years died in a car accident, so from then on, he gave up on love entirely.

But he would listen and he would give his opinion – which was enough.

And even if he wasn’t there, I could still get a cup of coffee. I knew I would never get to sleep anyway. I could use the bitter sweetness of just a plain coffee with a little sugar and cream added in. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy. Just a hot drink.

“Hey, Pete.” I sighed and sat down at the bar counter.

“Did your Grande sized double espresso mocha latte finally wear off after… eleven hours?” Pete asked in his way of greeting me.

“It wore off by noon.” I admitted and slouched into the stool. “I had to keep drinking the crap coffee at Carol’s every fifteen minutes.”

“So what brings you to Paradise? It’s kind of late for a buzz… Unless…” Pete suggested.

“Ew, no – God no!” I scrunched my nose in. “How can you insinuate that? I don’t even have a guy around anyway.”

He shrugged. “Hey, for all I know, you’re really into threesomes and couldn’t find any other sap doing nothing at eight at night.”

“Pete, just… A small coffee with sugar and cream. You know how I like it.” I grumbled and stuck two singles in the tip jar.

“Can do.” He replied and went to work.

I sighed and collapsed against the counter. It had a layer of exchangeable paper on it so customers could doodle little mysterious notes or ‘thank you’s.’ I often wrote nasty little comments to Pete so when he read them as he cleaned up. Or I’d leave little doodles of our faces in a heart with an arrow through it. Sometimes it was a pit bull tugging at his pant leg trying to eat him, or me with angel wings. Or make extravagant suns where coffee cup stains were. To the best of my knowledge, Pete kept all of them in his own apartment.

“So, bad first day?” He asked, trying to make conversation. But I could tell in his voice he was just tired and wanted to finish up so he could go home. “Didn’t meet the one yet?”

“Oh, hush you. And no, my first day went fine. It’s a perfect, minimum wage paying job. I did, however, meet another failure called a man.” I replied, drawing Michael with a giant head at a desk.

“Ah, another loser? That’s too bad. What was wrong with this one?” Pete asked and handed me my coffee in a ceramic mug. He seemed suddenly interested.

“He was so boring.” I complained. “There was absolutely nothing to him. He had no substance.”

“Oh, one of them again.” Pete rolled his eyes and began to wipe up the store with a dirty rag. “Did you ever think that maybe it’s you?”

“Of course I have, but then I realized it was a completely stupid idea; there’s nothing wrong with me. I’m perfect.” I shrugged jokingly. “But yeah, I have. I just don’t know what.”

“Well I can tell you.” He said quickly. A little too quickly; I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re way too into this whole destiny thing. You can’t just keep waiting for some shooting star or giant arrow to point you in the right direction. It’s not all about love at first sight; sometimes you just have to get to know the person first.”

“Why would I want to get to know someone who reminds me a lot of a cardboard cutout of a person?” I replied drily.

“Ouch, Angela. Was he really that bad?” Pete smirked at my nasty remark.
“He was dry as tough jerky.” I said, and he laughed. “See, I need to find someone that can laugh at my jokes.”

“Relax, Angie. You’re in your early twenties. There’s still time before the whole city starts pointing and throwing rocks at you while calling you an ‘old maid.’”

“Not much time.” I muttered and took a sip of the delicious coffee in front of me. Pete had made the foamy milk on top in the shape of a heart like he always did when I came in the shop to sit down.

“Or hey, maybe you’re just looking for the wrong guys.” He suggested as he pulled the money from the tip jar and shoved it in his pockets.

I simply sighed and continued to sip my coffee and doodle little things on the counter. It wouldn’t be long before Pete had to scrap the paper. I was drawing a dinosaur attacking a city while breathing fire on a building. Three planes were shooting at the giant monster.

“Or maybe… Maybe you’re really a lesbian!” Pete suggested.

“Or maybe not!” I replied in the same sarcastic tone. “Maybe I’m just plagued with bad luck.”

“I think you’re being a little over dramatic, Angela. Maybe you should just stop looking for the one. Stop looking for signs. Just find someone who you’re even a little interested in, and who is interested in you. Just date to date. There’s nothing wrong with that.” He said and turned to me, now done with cleaning up behind the counter.

“It’s not that simple. I can’t just go out with someone if I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere. If it’s going to be a waste of my time—“

“Look, when I started going out with Katie, I honestly didn’t think I would actually have strong feelings for her. I was thinking, ‘hey, here’s a pretty girl who seems into me. Why not?’ I wasn’t thinking about forever or a soul mate… but that’s what I got. I’m not saying you have to put out to any guy who gives you a little attention. But getting to know someone may make you change your mind.” Pete said softly.

I gave him a sympathetic look. I knew it was hard for him to talk about Katie – who died over two years ago. “Pete—“

“Just think about it. I’m serious. I don’t think you’re eyes are as open as they can be. You need to broaden your horizons!” Peter exclaimed and raised his fists over his head in pretend victory.

I smiled and took a large drink of my coffee. “Well, anyway, I should probably get going soon. I keep taking your concentration off of cleaning. Two bucks fifty, right?”
Pete shrugged. “Tonight, it’s on the house.”

I shook my head. “No, Peter. I’ll pay.” I argued and pulled out some bills and coins. I reached over the counter to give the money to him and accidentally spilled a little coffee on the surface. “Crap.”

“Its fine, Angela. That’s what the paper is really for.” Pete smiled and took the money from me. I smiled back.

I looked down at the mess I made and saw an interesting design. A small, brown, coffee heart had stained itself next to my mug. I cocked my head to the side and observed it. It was sort of upside down to me – the bottom point was facing north east of me. ‘How strange,’ I thought. I took my pen and traced the outside of the heart a few times after I absorbed the excess liquid with a napkin.

I looked up at Pete who was organizing the money in the cash register… Who was north east of me.

I looked back down at the heart.

‘It’s a sign – a sign!’ my mind was screaming. But could it really be? Could Peter be the one for me? I had to admit to myself that I had never thought of him that way… but thinking about him that way really did feel so right. It made me feel whole. Like the void could be filled. The circle was complete…

“You’re wrong, Pete.” I said, shakily.

“What?”

“You’re wrong about the signs. The signs are right.”

“Angela, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I think you’ve had one too many cups of coffee. Let me just—“ He tried to take the mug away.

I stood up, startling him. He looked at me with wide eyes and stopped in his tracks. I didn’t hesitate when I leaned into the counter to get my face closer to his. I put my hands up to his hair and pulled him closer to me.

And I kissed him. I wasn’t wrong.

“I was right. I was right the entire time – the signs didn’t fail me.” I said excitedly when we stopped. It was such a sweet, such an innocent kiss it sent me through the roof. By the expression on his face too, he didn’t mind at all. In fact, he looked just like I felt; perfection.

“What are you blabbing on about, Angela?” Pete asked me, with soft features analyzing me. He smiled and took my hands in his over the counter.

“When I first came to the city, a man gave me a flyer for Paradise. I thought it was stupid so I just let it go as the wind blew by. But the wind shifted in that moment and the flyer flew back to me. It was a sign – fate made me come here!”

“I think you’re getting a little—“

“And then you were the first person I made friends with here.” I continued without listening to him. “You. You’re the one who convinced your boss to hire me – and yeah I did get myself fired – but you got me into the system. You helped me live here… You started my life. You got me addicted to coffee—“

“A mistake on my part.”

“Which made me keep coming back to Paradise. And then today, the heart stain pointed to you—“

“What heart stain?”

“So I realized that you were the one. You’re the one I’m supposed to be with.” I finished, and kissed him again. He tasted of a little sweet mint and smelled of strong coffee beans.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about – and I don’t know most of the time – but I don’t really care. All I care is that this – this right here” he said, gripping my hands tighter, “is real. It is real, isn’t it? You’re not dating just to date?”

I shook my head furiously and kissed him hard on the mouth. “This is as real as it gets. Fate made this. Besides; you make the coffee. I had to realize that you were the one eventually. I’m just so sorry it took me forever to figure it out—“

“You took just the right amount of time. The perfect amount of time. You’re perfect.” He murmured against my lips.

“No… We’re just perfect for each other.” I smiled and kissed him again.

Finally everything was perfect, like it should be. Pete and I… Well, that’s what we were. Finally my mind stopped looking for the one, because I had already had him. I was finally at peace.

Which was awesome, because what goes better with love and coffee than peace?