Breaking new grounds

I cheated on Quirky Girl.  I went to another cafe for tea in the morning.  My work hours have changed a little and I didn't have to be at school until later, so I didn't go to Quirky Girl Cafe.  I went to the one next door to..... my house?  My apartment?  No, really..... my room.

Anyway, I was a little nervous going in.  There was a guy behind the bar and a lady on a stool at the bar.  Otherwise, it was empty.  I timidly approached them (It's a fact folks.  I'm a little timid here.) and ordered a tea.  The guy told me that I could sit wherever I wanted to because in his cafe, it was the same price at the bar or at a table.  That probably meant, "Go sit at a table and leave us alone," but I decided not to take it that way.  I decided to be the Tenley that some of you think I am and I said, "Well, the place that I really want to sit is right here by you."  Yes.  I actually said that.  In French.  So, I guess I don't really know what I said.

Anyway, it worked.  I have two new friends that don't know my name.  This place is called "Les Ecoliers."  That means, "The Schoolkids."  I like it.  I'm kind of a schoolkid, right?  The owner speaks some English so we've decided that we'll coach each other.  The lady was Portuguese.  She didn't speak any English, but we managed with a combo of Spanish and French.  I wondered if she came here every morning and  for how long she'd been coming.  I wondered how she felt about me skipping in, like a schoolkid, and stealing a bit of her time.

And then, it all reminded me of my studio.  I was the same as the cafe owner and I had to learn to jockey my regulars so that we all got what we needed.  When one had been there so long that I'd see another pass by my window a couple of times, I'd try to wrap it up with the first.  I wasn't wrapping up cards or stationery.  I was wrapping up little conversations.  My regulars didn't really need cards or stationery, just like I don't really need a cup of tea.   I think what they needed was a little time to feel like they had a special place in their neighborhood where someone would listen and they could feel at home.   They could come for a little chitchat in a cozy place that had nothing to do with the rest of their lives.

I hope I gave them as much as Quirky Girl and my new coach are giving me.  I miss my regulars.  I wonder if Quirky Girl missed me.  She probably didn't and that's okay.  She's busy pounding out the coffee grounds under the sink (I love that sound) and lending an ear with one long, dangly earring to one of her regulars.  I have a feeling no one else used my teapot and it will be there for me the next time that I don't really need a cup of tea.