On her way to work, Sam usually stops by a small coffee shop to pick up her favourite caramel latte. A barista friend once taught Sam that the best coffee is a blend of Arabica and Robusta. Because in reality, nothing is perfect. It works with everything: temperaments, races, colours, genres… Speaking of temperaments, Sam has always considered herself a melancholic introvert. She didn’t like people and was often in a depressed mood. Doesn’t it seem like everything fits? But no human being has a pure temperament. The coexistence of such creatures would be impossible from a psychological point of view. Life is an eternal search for harmony. And we are always looking for someone who is different from us and equally similar to us in some way. It’s the only way we feel comfortable. But Sam did not accept this theory because she was sure that she was not looking for anyone and no one was looking for her. She was happy to be alone. At least that’s what her few friends and social networks thought. So, as usual, Samantha ran to her favourite place for coffee, where chubby Delilah always made her coffee with a double shot of syrup and a huge slide of cream. Delilah was named after a woman from the opera. Because her parents conceived her on a day when they went to the theatre. She was smiling when she opened the door to the coffee shop and the bell rang above her.
“Good morning, Delilah!” Sam said enthusiastically as she closed the door behind her.
“Good morning,” a man’s voice replied. Sam froze at the door, peering into the face of a young man in an “A-la Coffee” T-shirt.
“Where’s Delilah?” Samantha decided to break the tension.
“Delilah will be working the second shift today, and I’m Derek, by the way,” he held out his hand to Samantha. Derek was quite handsome, Sam couldn’t help but notice. He was tall, light brown hair, with dark, deep blue eyes and teeth so shiny white that Samantha began to wonder when she should make her next dental appointment.
“Aren’t you my new neighbour, by any chance?” the guy asked, a little awkwardly. And then Sam froze in horror for a second. Had this guy seen her in such a terrible state yesterday? “I thought I scared you yesterday because you ran off the balcony so quickly…” he continued.
“No, it’s okay,” Sam finally recovered. “I just lived without neighbours for a year, so I was very surprised. And those workers with their trees ruined the mood…” Sam made excuses and finally shook the guy’s hand. Derek smiled sunnily when Sam touched his hand. She seemed very interesting to him. He was used to all girls reacting to him in the same way. He always knew he was good-looking, but there’s nothing good about being valued solely for that.
“By the way, I asked the workers yesterday why they were doing this. They said it was for safety, so that the branches wouldn’t fall on your head during a storm, because they’re predicting heavy rains soon,” Sam was surprised at Derek’s ability to carry on a conversation so casually. She seemed very happy to be going to work. He made her a double shot of syrop and a lot of cream.
© Anna Viterets 2023-08-24