The Coffee Shop

by Lauraine Lombara

There is a hesitation in the older woman’s step as I watch her enter the popular coffee shop in No. Beverly, close by the commuter rail station. Her shoulders sag a bit as she seems to force herself forward into the crowded room.  Looking at the offerings of pastry in the case and then at the list of beverages on the overhead board, I hear her mutter softly, “I need my glasses; I can’t see from this distance; I don’t know “.

“Excuse me, M’am,” I hear from a customer, waiting to get beyond this poor soul who is lost in a thicket of young to middle-aged men and women impatiently waiting to order their coffees, lattes, cappuccinos or teas, before getting on with their busy lives; always in a rush.

              I decide to be a Good Samaritan and help as she reminds me of myself when I had been a novice at the upscale cafés and bistros and had trouble deciphering the menu.  “Come over here by me for a minute,” I whisper to her, “we can wait until there’s a little break and meanwhile figure out what we like”. “Oh, thanks so much, that’ll be great.  I love rich coffee but I am so unaccustomed to ordering with all the different choices, sizes and the names.  What is tall, grande, macchiato, Americano?  It is so, so confusing”. 

I snag a table and place my heavy coat on one chair and ask her if she plans to have her coffee to-go or will she sit and enjoy it.  “I would love to sit with you and wait here in the warmth until my train arrives.  I’ll put my overcoat on the other chair” she states, now visibly more relaxed. We approach the counter after I help her decide.  “I’ll have a cappuccino and a croissant”, she declares with a firm voice and a flourish of her hand.  “I do so admire the French and Italians.They have a flair for delicious sounding pastries and coffee drinks”.   I smile sweetly at her; a woman who minutes before seemed lost and confused and is now in control. We wait for our cappuccino and latte, her croissant, my nothing, and then sit down gratefully, to sip, gaze around, chat and smile for a pause that refreshes both of us in body and in mind before braving the winter cold outside.