Ayden knew he should get his ass straight into work, but it had been a full week since he took the extra time to divert to his favourite coffee shop.
His job as a systems analyst was satisfying enough, and he was pretty damn good at it for guy in his mid-twenties, but his job wasn't ever going to deliver the true joys of life. That sort of thing lay elsewhere ... and, sadly of late, that elsewhere for Ayden was nowhere.
His work hours were flexible, so a couple of times a week he went out of his way to visit a little shop that he considered one lucky find. It was always worth it. Not only for the best cup of coffee in the city, but also for the company and conversation of the proprietor, Dak. The old man had a way of improving Ayden's day.
Wyn-Find, it was called. Not a normal name for a café, but it wasn't actually a café. It was more of a combination antique/thrift/used book store. One time when Ayden had been in the area on business, he came across the place and discovered it included a little coffee nook. He gave it a shot, and oh was he pleased to taste that coffee for the first time -- and every time since.
Ayden parked his Audi at a meter near Wyn-Find and paid for a full hour, anticipating his habit of long conversations with Dak.
The old man sitting behind the cash counter looked up from his book and beamed a wide smile at Ayden. "Hey, there's my boy! Been wondering where you got to. Sit yourself down while I get your coffee."
Ayden took a seat at the one tiny table in the coffee nook as Dak stowed his book next to the cash register, slowly got to his feet and made his way over to the shop's modest coffee counter. Soon he set a steaming mug before Ayden and joined his young patron at the table.
"So, where you been the past week?" Dak asked.
"A little bump in the road with a client needed extra attention, but it's sorted out."
"Uh huh, work weighing on ya. That why you been so down lately?"
Ayden was taken aback and eyed Dak. The old man's face was calm, as always, his dark skin framed by a beard gone fully grey beneath a bald head. His deep brown eyes looked straight into Ayden's soul. It should have felt disconcerting, but instead it made Ayden feel strangely comforted.
"What makes you say that?" Ayden asked.
"Oh, I noticed something been getting you down last few times you stopped in. Then when you were no show for a week, I wondered."
Ayden was impressed with the man's insight, and it felt good to be thought of. "It's not work, not at the moment anyway," he said. "But you're right that I've been feeling shitty lately."
"My ear is yours if you care to share."
Ayden took a sip of his coffee, pausing to savour the flavour and satisfying aftertaste. "It's what's happening in my personal life," he said, "or more like what's not happening. It just feels like nothing ever goes my way, you know ... with women." He sighed. "I swear, it's like the universe is working against me. I keep missing opportunities and losing out. It's so frustrating."
"What kind of opportunities you talking about?"
Between mouthfuls of coffee, Ayden related two recent scenarios that felt like kicks to the nuts.
Just a couple of weeks ago, he had been spending all his time in his office writing a report, working late every day. Then he got called out to an off-site meeting and an assistant asked Ayden if he could use his office while he was away. The next day, Ayden found out the assistant stayed late, so was in his office when a twenty-three-year-old babe popped in to empty the waste basket -- an intelligent, witty, super-hot Master's student working part time at her uncle's cleaning service. She and the assistant hit it off and are now dating.
"My dream girl walked into in my office the one fucking day I wasn't there!"
A month before that, his buddy Carter got a call from a mutual friend of theirs, Nadia, from a bachelorette party. They needed a sober friend to do a beer run. Carter agreed, and upon arriving with the booze resupply, enjoyed some frisky playfulness with the girls. Before he left, one of the gals pulled him into a back room for an intense quickie. Now they meet for casual sex whenever they're in the mood. Ayden had been in a movie theatre at the time with his brother. When he switched his phone back on, he saw the missed call message.
"Nadia had fucking called me first!"
Ayden downed his last swallow of coffee. "I've got a bucketload of pathetic stories, but I don't think I can bear to tell them now that my mug's empty." He shrugged resignedly, not knowing what else to say.
Dak was looking at him with sympathy. "I get what you're saying, son. Right place right time."
"What?"
"Scoring the things you want in life, the things you need -- it all comes down to being in the right place at the right time."
Ayden found he could agree with that. "So why's that never happen for me?"
"Never, you say? You telling me the right place right time never happens for you ever?"
Aden let his mind reflect as his gaze floated over the small store. Neatly arranged tables, shelves and racks displayed trinkets and old clothes, antiques and curios. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting any of it, except maybe what was on the bookshelf. There were some great classics lining those shelves. The bookshelf triggered a fond memory, one that actually fit Dak's challenge.
"Yeah, there was a time I was in exactly the right place at the right time," he told Dak, "but I gotta go back to my senior year of university. It was mid-terms and the main library was too busy, so I needed another place to study. My university was heavily focused on sciences and tech, so no one used the arts and humanities library. I was the only one there, until a girl walked in. Chloe. Biology major. Came up with the same idea as me. We totally clicked and she became my girlfriend. She was something special, the best connection I ever had with anyone. Those were the happiest months of my life."
"That there's what I'm talking about," Dak said. "So what happened to this lovely girl?"
Ayden shrugged dismissively, as if he never thought about the loss. "We kind of just went our separate ways after graduation, different career aspirations, you know. She moved away, we lost touch."
"Sure, that's how it goes sometimes," Dak acknowledged. "But listen, son, you should've seen the sparkle in your eye just then when you talked about how you met her. Stay focused on that positivity. Bring back that feeling of right place right time and it'll happen for you again in the here and now."
And there it was. Dak had done it again. Made him feel better, like the day just got a little brighter. His thoughts shifted to Denise, the cute new analyst in his office. He'd had a few chats with her in the break room, and she seemed to like him.
He decided to take Dak's advice. It was time to make things go his way.
* * * * * * *
Two days later, Ayden pushed open the door to Wyn-Find. While a fine cup of coffee awaited him, his real reason for today's detour was less pleasant. He just wasn't ready to go back into the office yet.
A middle-aged woman was on her way out, so he held the door for her, which made her already broad smile even brighter. Dak working his magic on someone else, Ayden thought. Watching her leave reminded him of how rare it was to see customers in the shop. He had to admit he liked the quiet times with Dak's full attention.
"She seemed happy," Ayden commented.
Dak gave a nod. "I'll grab your coffee and you can tell me why you're not."
Was it that obvious? Ayden wondered. Or was Dak just that perceptive? He removed his blazer, draping it over the back of the chair as he sat at the little coffee nook table and waited for the old man to join him. Dak watched him in patient silence as he took a few sips of coffee before speaking.
