My chosen coffee shop is my go-to poison, reigning supreme among the offerings that litter my surroundings. It’s also the closest. I’m holed up in here because I’ve convinced myself that a) I must have a brew to kickstart my day and b) somehow, I can find a slither of inspiration in the walls.
First, let’s talk ambience. As soon as I walk in, I feel like I’ve wandered into my own personal lounge, a living room that I’ve visited for years. Though there definitely isn’t one, my mind insists there’s a phantom fireplace, crackling with coziness in the corner. Maybe that’s just how I want all my coffee shops to be, and what she wants she will get. Even if it isn’t real.
The baristas smile like they know something I don’t, tossing out cheery hellos like confetti at a wedding. I order an americano, a swift kick to the senses, or an Earl Grey, if I’m feeling less vicious. This time it is the former, and it is strong. In my youth, I visited other well-known coffee chains, whose wares tasted either like burnt tar or simply milk, but this one is strong, bold, and everything my tired adult self wants in a coffee. I also have some cream to go with it and a glass of water to rinse out the bitterness.
Although I enjoy the sound of a coffee shop to drown out my thoughts, when I really stop to listen, it’s an absolute racket. The steam hisses, the grinders screech, vapid small talk about work swirls around the room - all while the speakers try pitifully to send out some relaxing elevator music, a carefully curated playlist of saxophones and piano keys.
In a bid to blend in, I sip my drink, slowly, so that it doesn’t run out before the two hours I’ve decided to spend here, lest I feel obliged to order another drink. I convince myself I’m busy on my laptop, but really, I’ve just rewritten the same paragraph five times, unable to extract that inspiration that supposedly lives in the cracks. The cafe is a breeding house for existential crises, a place we all come to put a hold on our lives, to pause and reflect and ask ourselves: what the fuck am I doing with my life? What will I do when I leave this haven and step back out into the soul-sucking mundanity of real life?
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