I shut my eyes so no one could see me roll them when her order came through. I had seen her walk in again and felt totally inferior. She was tall with immaculate make-up and beautifully styled hair. She looked amazing in her workout gear; her diamond rings shining in the October sunlight.
"Half decaf, half soy, half almond latté with half a sugar for Charlotte." I sung out as I poured the last of the milk in the cup forming a heart pattern.
"Thanks honey! Love your earrings by the way! Have an awesome day."
Work was steady but I ignored most of my customers. I had been working at
The Dark Room
for over three years. We specialised in black coffee- filters, espresso and iced blends that showcased the flavour of the coffee beans and yet there were always the Charlotte's of the world who wanted complicated orders. Simon, my boss and head barista, didn't care as long as the customer paid, and Charlotte paid top dollar.
"She is one sexy woman!" Simon exclaimed after she had left, "I mean, I'd even consider getting flavoured syrups in if she ever asked for them."
"I'll tell Nance then, but she'll probably just tamp your cock into a chamber and pour boiling water over it. Long black for James." I looked up and passed the next coffee across the machine to the waiting customer.
Simon and Nance had been good to me. I had seen the advertisement for a café assistant and applied with a handwritten letter and CV. I delivered it with my almost four-year-old daughter, Poppy, who had formed an immediate bond with Nance, despite her middle-aged gothic like appearance.
"I, um, used to work for a coffee chain in high school and I know how the machines work. I'm putting Poppy in childcare three days a week and I, um, well, I need the money."
Nance had interviewed me on the spot and offered me a trial. I hadn't finished high school. My pregnancy put an end to that. I had not been in love with Davo, Poppy's father, but I was a hormonal teenager. As soon as he discovered I was pregnant he freaked and told me to 'get rid of it' as if 'it' was merely something that could be thrown out with the trash. When I applied for this job, I had just turned 21 and decided I needed to make changes so Poppy could have a better life than me.
My own father had not been on the scene for many years and Mum had tried her best, but she and I had lived in what seemed like an endless existence of poverty. She'd had me when she was a teenager and so the cycle had continued. Mum had, however, found Jesus and met a man in her congregation who lived on a boat and the two had gone sailing off into the sunset. She seemed happy, but my new stepfather gave me the creeps.
After a few months Nance made me permanent and she and Simon started teaching me all about the intricacies of coffee. I had never met anyone like them before. They had been married for over 25 years and had chosen not to have children. Nance dyed her long hair black and applied black eyeliner and black lipstick liberally and was always wearing flowing black dresses.
The Dark Room
had been their child- a coffee shop down a dark alleyway, with black walls covered in black and white photographs, specialising in black coffee. Every Friday the 13th, black coffee was half-price and October was her black magic month leading up to Halloween. This year Nance was super excited as she was able to carry the magic through until Friday, 13th November.
Simon seemed almost conservative compared to Nance. His uniform was black skinny jeans and a black-t-shirt, usually a metal band or one that a coffee producer had given him. His salt and pepper hair and beard toned the all-black look somewhat these days, but he still wore black thick rimmed glasses. When people commented on his beard, he joked that he'd worn one for years, long before it was hip.
In three years, I had progressed from dish pig, washing the breakfast plates that returned to the kitchen, to one of the lead baristas. My knowledge and love of coffee had deepened, and, despite my shy nature, I found myself interacting with customers as required.
"3 lattés, one on skim, 2 flat whites, one on soy, a cappuccino and a hot chocolate on skim for Julian."
"Thanks Sam! Those earrings are pretty cool!"
"You know you should try and flirt back with the customers who are nice to you, Chook! Julian comes in most days and he's always looking at you!" Simon passed me more shots of coffee for the next order.
"Gross. He's like in his 30s and wears a wedding ring."
"You're an attractive woman. Just because you had a bad experience with Poppy's Dad doesn't mean all of us are bastards."
"Chai on soy and skim latté for Nick." I did not want to have this conversation with Simon in the middle of the morning rush.
Looking to the other side of Simon I saw Chrissy taking the orders. She was a university student who worked a few shifts each week. She was another stunning woman, long blonde hair that she always wore in a high ponytail along with her short black shorts and fitted t-shirt. I was not into girls in a sexual way, but lately I had noticed how much most of them were more beautiful or more comfortable around people than me.
"They are awesome earrings! Where did you get them?" Chrissy asked as I handed her a long black.
"I found the charms and beads in a craft shop and made them. It wasn't hard."
"Well I'll give you twenty bucks if you make me a pair!"
"That's too much, I mean, the beads are like cents and the charms aren't that expensive."
"I don't care, I like them, and I know how much they cost in the jewellery shop around the corner. Please, Sam!"
I wanted to tell Chrissy I did not need charity, but I also knew the $20 would come in handy.
Nance had also admired my earrings and asked for a pair, except she wanted black beads around her pumpkins, not purple and orange as Chrissy and I had chosen.
"Actually, there's 3 of you girls and me who work here so how about I give you $100 and you make everyone a pair and I'll pay for yours too, Chook."
"It's too much, honestly."
"No, it's not! Use some of it to buy some craft stuff for Poppy, you know how much she loves her crafts!"
So Poppy and I went to the craft shop after school. They still had pumpkin charms available and I chose a mixed bag of beads to produce different coloured earrings for the girls at work.
"Poppy!" I heard a child scream in delight and turned from the earring clasps I was looking at to find Poppy embracing another girl in the same school uniform as her.
"Gemma? Gemma? Where are you?" Lo and behold I was greeted by Charlotte, my beautifully put together customer from that morning. "Hello! You're the coffee girl! Is this your sister?"
"Um, hi, I'm Sam. This is my daughter, Poppy."
"Oh, wow! I, um, wow, no, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, I was, um, young."
"Gemma talks about Poppy all the time! I must have her over for a playdate sometime."
"Can I Mummy, please?" Poppy looked at me with her huge green eyes full of longing.
"Of course, if Mrs..."
"Just call me Charlotte, Poppy. Does Saturday afternoon work for you both?"
"Um, yes, yep, um, I don't work weekends. I don't drive so, um, we'd have to catch the bus."
"How about we talk about it tomorrow morning when I grab my coffee?"
That evening after Poppy was in bed, I made the earrings for my colleagues. I thought about Charlotte and her offer for a playdate. Apart from my colleagues I had few friends. I worked weekdays so I could spend the weekends with Poppy and I did not really know any of the school parents. When Poppy was born there was a group of teenaged mothers who met for a while, but the only thing we had in common were our motherhood status and I did not get along with any of them. It had felt like High School and I was lower than the lowest on the pecking order.
