A Day of Ruin

I let out a little yell as my phone buzzed to life, the ringtone breaking my train of thoughts.

“Fucking hell...” I gasped, reaching for it as my heart pounded. I got too lost in my thoughts, that night always consuming me way too much.

The number on the phone wasn’t one I recognized and my hand shook as I pressed the green button.

“Hello?”

”Is this Harlow?” a deep voice asked.

I swallowed, clutching the phone to my head tighter. “Yes...”

“Yeah, cool. It’s Tim from the coffee shop. Just wanted to let you know you have the job if you’re still interested.”

Oh, thank fuck.

I instantly relaxed, letting out a breath. “Yes please. I really appreciate it.”

Banging of metal and the whirling of a milk machine in the background had me pulling the phone back slightly. “Yeah, cool. Anyways I’ll email you the roster but you can start tomorrow. We need someone to help the late morning shift. Starts at 9am. I’ll put details in the email. All good?”

“Yeah, thanks Tim,” I murmured, looking at the phone in confusion when it clicked off after hearing someone screaming about a cappuccino. Well, this should be fun.

“If you press that button, you’ll overheat the milk. Use a thermometer. When in doubt, just add an extra shot of coffee. People will yell, don’t take it personally.”

It was chaos, pure chaos.

I had arrived at Little Beanboozle at 8:55am and had to fight my way in the door. Customers grunted at me, thinking I was pushing in and I couldn’t help but notice their personality changes when they exited the shop with caffeine in their hands.

Tim had thrown an apron at me and had run me through the general... advice.

“And if someone says the coffee is wrong or shit, just make them a new one. For the love of Satan, do not... I repeat, do not look them in the eye and argue. They are not human. Other than that, you’ll pick it up.”

I was going to kill Lily. This was the worst idea ever.

Tim walked over to the register, tapping it a few times before looking up. “Next!”

A young woman in her early 20’s marched forward, bags under her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Mocha. Soy. Three sugars. Extra shot.”

My eyes widened as I stared at her. Christ... these people couldn’t even manage full sentences. How was I expected to communicate with them? What if I didn’t understand the lingo?

“Harlow. Pay attention. See here,” he pointed to the screen and buttons, “click here for your coffee options. Over here is your milk and then your extras.”

Tim looked at the woman. “Cash or card?”

She pulled out her wallet, flashing her credit card without a word. Tim pointed to the screen again, showing me the payment options before fixing up the bill.

“Okay your turn.”

I looked at him in a panic, before looking at the long line. “Already?”

Tim sighed. “You’ll learn. Just try.”

The next customer stepped forward, a tall man in his late 20’s.

“Large flat white with one sugar, thanks.”

I nodded, looking at the screen with confusion. “Right, no worries...”

Cringing, I looked at Tim as I hit the wrong button. He pushed his mop of brown hair out of his face as he showed me the correct buttons again.

“Sorry,” I awkwardly smiled at the customer.

The man smiled, his dimples flashing along with his grey eyes and black hair. “All good, I’m in no rush, love.”

The customers behind him groaned and tapped their feet but I couldn’t help but smile at the guy. A friendly face was hard to come by these days and it was nice to have someone so patient.

“Okay, that’s 4.10. Cash or card?” I asked, nodding in acknowledgement when he handed over his card. I swiped it and handed it back. “Shouldn’t be long.”

He grinned, giving me a wink. I blinked, near stumbling back as I watched him turn and walk over to the waiting area. My heart actually skipped a little beat but I shook it off, ready to serve the next customer, who unfortunately was not as forgiving or friendly as Mr Grey-Eyes.