During the summer, I came to this exact Borders almost every morning of the week. That meant that the morning baristas generally got to know me pretty well, and vice versa. We were all pretty much on a first name basis by the time I had to leave for college, and they were always so nice to me, so I felt like I owed them something before I left. So I left them a note and about a seven dollar tip before I left the cafe on that final day of summer freedom.
“To Davy, Jamie, Elise, and Josh,
I’m off to college, but I wanted to thank you for making this summer awesome. It’s kind of cool when people know your name, and it made coming in nearly every morning a lot of fun.
Thanks for a great and productive summer,
<3 Bri”
Today, after being sick for a few days, I decided that I wanted to revisit my beloved Borders, because I missed the coffee and the productivity. Davy, the first barista to know my name, was the only one behind the counter today.
A great big smile lit across his face as I approached the counter. “Hey Bri! Hows it going? How’s school and everything?”
“Hey! School’s been great, but I missed this place! The coffee up there isn’t nearly as good.”
He laughs. “We all really appreciated your note. Most people just think of us as vending machines.”
“Vending machines don’t know my name and smile when I come in.”
We both laugh and I order. Then we discussed briefly the Gryffindor scarf I’m currently wearing and he admits he’s more of a Ravenclaw himself.
It’s those kinds of moments that keep my hold on my faith in humanity. It’s shared human experiences like these that melt my cynical heart for a little while. I was honestly choked up for a little while. Oh, scratch that, I’m still choked up. Thank you, Davy, again, for making me human.
