10/3/07

Coffee Hell

I can’t be late, I can’t be late, I mentally chanted to myself as I tugged on my coffee stained Nike’s. I righted myself on the edge of my bed too quickly and taste of the drinks I had the night before trying to make a come back, but the feeling quickly faded. Thank god. I rubbed my tired eyes and glanced once again at my alarm clock 7:00 a.m. “Shit,” I swore realizing that more time had slipped away from me. I could have sworn that it just said 6:35 like a second ago.

I buttoned up what ever buttons I could on my white collared shirt and zipped up the fly of my dirty black pants. I grabbed my keys off the nightstand along with my, oh so damaged selphone that I shoved into my front pocket of my pants. Three blocks and subway ride later my hand opened the door of my minim wage hell, Star Bucks. I made my way to the back room doing my best not to be seen as I grabbed my time card.

“David,” The voice of Bob, my boss said somehow from behind me. His creepy raspy chain smoker voice made the hair of back of neck stand. I turned on the balls of my feet and gave a fake smile. Bob was a short white balling man in his late thirties who looked more like the type to be at a corporate office rather than a working as manger at a freaking Star Bucks. I oftened woundered what drove him to this type of job, more than likely he liked to make my life a living hell.

“It’s just Dave,” I corrected him.

“What ever, you’re late,” Bob informed me. He lifted a disapproving eye brow. “Again.”

“Well you see…”

“I don’t want to hear it David, I am not in the mood to day to hear any of your excuses,” He said, putting up a finger in my direction.

“Okay, then am I fired?”

“No, your not. At lest not today as were very short handed, but if you late one more time your out of here,” He said pointing his thumb towards to the door. “So put on your apron and go help Marcus at the front station.”

“Yes Sir,” I said giving him a quick salute and sprinted to the front station. At six foot –ten I found the very blond blue eyed Marcus a.k.a Swed hunched over at the station filling up metal cup with coffee shots in preparation of making a frappinco. “What’s happening Swed my man?”

“Dave, you can’t even begin to comprehend vhat is even happening,” Swed answered with his very distinct very thick Swedish accent. He finished making his order and handed it off to girl at the front register a girl.

“Really? Vhat could be happening that is something I cannot comprehend,” I said in my best fake Swedish accent.

“Vell first off last night after you left I found this chick at the bar vho was like all over me,” He said.

“Why is it that every time that I leave some place is where you stories always take place?”

“Because you are a girly man and all the voman come flocking to me once you’re not around.”

“Yeah, sure they do Swed. What were you saying about a girl?”

“Yeah, this mad hot chick was all over me and was like you vant to bounce to my place? And I was like….”

“Hey I could I get my god damn coffee?” Yelled a short brown haired woman in a blue Addis track suite from a cross the count at us. “I paid for my coffee so I want my freaking coffee”

Swed rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry I got this,” I told him as I picked up the order slip for the woman’s coffee and made her coffee for her. “Here you are miss.”

“About time.” She snatched the hot coffee from my hands and gulped it then quickly spit it out. “What the hell is this crap?”

“It’s what you order miss. A large double hazelnut-cream coffee with two creams no sugar.”

“No it isn’t what I order there is sugar in this I can taste it.”

“I can swear to you that there is no sugar in that coffee as you just watched me make the coffee right in front of you.”

“Don’t take that tone with me young man,” She snapped at me. “I want my money back.”

At the words ‘I want my money back’ Bob popped out of nowhere to help me or so I thought. I explained him that what was happened. “Well, I guess that you’re just going to have to make her another one,” Bob said to me.

My mouth hung open in anger as I really wanted to scream.I took a deep breathe in then out to clear my head. It helped a little bit. “Sure,” I replied as I grabbed another cup and made a new coffee for the woman, but this time I had Bob right on top of me as I did so. I handed the new coffee to the women who looked quite pleased with herself as she sipped her new coffee.

“Here I don’t need this one,” She hung her hand out with other coffee to me. As I reached for it she dropped it from her hands before I could grab it where hit the counter in front of me spilling and splashing all over me. “Ooops…my bad.”

And with that she walked out the door.

“I’ve had it!” I screamed pulling off my apron and threw it at the mess on the counter. I hopped over the counter around the mess and toward the door.

“Where are you going David?” Bob yelled.

“It’s Dave, and I quit. No Job is worth having if people think they can mess around with you,” I bellowed. “Swed, buddy I will be talking to you later.”

With one long stride and with my head held high I walked out the front door out of my coffee hell in hopes that I would not have to ever return.