The Strategically Replaced Apostrophe
Posted: Wednesday, February 01, 2012
by Amanda Liesinger
http://www.lechampiondehockey.com
The coffeehouse next to the beach is my sancuary. Even in the mornings with the white collar rush or the evenings with the hipsters on their dates, I find myself melting into the vibe along with the sea blue paint on the wall. It's my office, my artist's studio, a meeting place, and an impressive non-alcoholic first date score. To save the best for last, the coffee's cheap and amazing.
I rushed in and sat in the back booth after grabbing a dark roast from Lillie, the barista that's here most weekdays. I camped my laptop and notebook and got straight to work - 5 clients needed ads by noon. There is no way I'm going to finish this.
"Oh, my darling, I'm so sorry to hear!" Some woman had come in, wearing too many rings, talking loud enough to be noticed, and ordered a tall soy latte. The sound of the steamed milk grated into my head. "Oh, but don't you worry, you'll bounce back!"
"Thank you Selma," Lillie responded flatly, handing the woman her latte and continuing to fill coffee beans into the grinder.
Selma apparently had plenty of time on her hands. "Running a business at your age is so hard. What are you going to do?" She didn't wait for the barista to respond. "You can always sell your spot to Moonbucks, I'd bet you'd make some money off of that." she giggled. "Since there's only one of you now, you're going to need the extra income."
"Thank you Selma," Lillie repeated. Selma didn't skip a beat, going straight to her cell phone and arranging a date at Prada with someone named Beverly.
My knuckles were white from the conversation I just eavesdropped on. Only today in this empty mid-morning coffeehouse, the only when I was annoyed by my work, would I be distracted enough to listen to this woman harass Lillie in my favorite coffeeshop. I stared at my laptop. An email pops up from a client I talked to last night. Their agency dropped me.
I strode to the counter to put more sugar in my cup. I went to turn to the table again where my work was waiting but I hesitated. "Lillie, is everything ok? I mean, it's not really my business to know about your life, but I'd have to spend a lot of time hunting for a replacement if this place went under."
"It's nothing. This place will go on, it just might be called something else."
"It's a shame," I responded, "but are you going to be ok?" I didn't know Lillie that well, but every time I came in she remembered me.
"Not really," she slopped a rag on the counter near the sink. I counted 4 tears running down her cheeks. She looked at me, a brave smile on her face, then she looked at the tables and chairs, the stained glass window with a lily flower on the front door, the wall of photographs of Lillie and countless customers.
Then she looked at me again and walked around to put my hand in hers.
"I'm being deported, back to Canada tomorrow. My student visa expired and Lyle won't marry me." she squeezed my hand. "There is nothing left in Canada except snow and caribou."
"I'm so sorry, Lillie." I lose my ability to say anything else.
"Don't be." She stared at me long enough for a confused look to spread across my face. "Are you doing anything today?"
"Yeah," I pried her hand away from mine. "I'm swamped."
"I've had this list of things to do since I've lived on the beach and after four years I still haven't mustered the courage to follow through. I've deemed you my second in command. Are you willing to play hooky for one day and help a Canadian fulfill her last wishes on the white tropical sand beaches of American soil?"
"If I don't get this work done today, I'd be taking a gamble that I probably can't bounce back from."
"I understand." Lillie turned around.
I found my seat in front of my laptop. Noon came and went as I struggled to finish 2 clients' worth of ads. There was an email from my boss contesting the importance of deadlines and my neglect of them would eventually lead to other staff getting my assignments. I rolled my eyes, then stood up.
"What's first on that list?" I yelled.
In the course of 2 minutes, Lillie took a pair of keys off the top of the espresso maker, shooed everyone out and locked the front door. She led me to her car. "Dive off Russellman's Ledge," she said as I buckled myself into the passenger seat.
The wind was swirling around me. "I don't remember it being this high from the water." My hands were shaking. I've never been a huge fan of heights.
"If we were here on a Friday night teenagers would knock you aside to jump." Lillie stared at me for the last time. "I brought you here to be my second in command, but the captain is always down to tango. You can either be a good mate and follow or watch while I get all the glory." she laughed and leaped off Russellman's Ledge. I hummed an entire Bowie tune before she landed, no joke. She screamed the whole way.
"I'm going to get slaughtered by my boss anyway," I mumbled, closing my eyes. I tripped over Russellman's Ledge. A million roller coasters got nothing on that rush. I find my breath and see Lillie wooping and hollaring.
"What's next?" I asked.
Over the course of 12 hours I found myself thumbing my way (Hitchhike, check) with Lillie to Masters' Country Club and scaling a tall white rod iron gate (Crash a party, check) to eat the most expensive meal I've ever eaten.
After two dozen crab legs, Lillie and I were taking a breather by the pool.
"Hey!" Lillie pops up from the reclined beach chair, spilling her martini, "We can knock out another one while we're here!" She pulls down her sunglasses. "You see that dark haired polo player over there? I'm going to hit on him!"
"You've never hit on anyone before? Even I've been drunk enough to do that," I responded.
"I was with Lyle the entire time I lived here." she explained no further - she was already next to the tall dark man, dressed in navy slacks and a white polo shirt. She motioned me to join her. I managed to say three words to the man before my tougue turned to mush, but Lillie had the force of fate behind her. I backed out of the conversation before I heard "call me anytime," come out of the polo player's mouth.
"Mission accomplished," Lillie said. That's about the time the guards finally found out where we were.
After an embarassing surfing lesson (surfing at dusk, check), Lillie and I went back to the coffeehouse. "Hot damn that was fun," she gave me a cup of coffee. "Do you have a list?"
I rubbed my eyes of salt water. "I don't have much of a list, just more of a line."
"Well, gosh darnit, what is it?" she laughed.
"I want to take my guitar to a dive bar and sing a song that I made up and that's it."
"My, that's simple." She disappeared into the back. "Well, wouldn't you know, here's a guitar!"
"I don't have it memorized and I don't remember the chords to the chorus and my hands are all wrinkled from the water," I continued on and on.
"Tough!" she laughed. "In the midst of all this hubbubb today you haven't been bitten by the bug?" she laughed again. "You aren't the little bit curious to know how it feels to do something you've always wanted to do?"
"Grrrrr," I grumbled and got off my seat. Lillie jumped up and down until we got to Pete's, the diviest joint in the 10 block radius of the coffeeshop. Lillie stepped up the bartender, nursing along a few regulars and nobody else, and asked him for a favor. He nodded, much to my disappointment, and turned off the 90's music blaring through the loudspeaker.
"This here little lady has a week to live and her last dream was to sing a song to y'all." the bartender shouted.
I looked at Lillie and she shrugged. I stood up in the corner of the bar next to the dart board, no mic, no stage and sung my little song. Got through to the end without stopping. Lille cheered, got out her imaginary guns and shot them into the air.
"That was fine work," she said.
I smiled, "I didn't know I was going to die in a week." The 90's music ripped through the speakers once again and we left.
"I have to close up the shop," Lillie said.
"I know," I didn't plan on what to do when this night ended. "I should finish some work before bed."
Lillie unlocked the door to the coffeeshop and stood on the step. She gave me a big hug. "I'll tell the owner you've got free coffee for life here." She disappeared inside.
I slept in through the noon hour the next day. All the work I left was still there. I could barely stomach the thought of rolling around in it all day. The only thing I could think to do was to make my way to my coffeeshop, my lucky charm.
The open sign jiggled back and forth on the stain glass door as I opened it, only to see my captain behind the corner like any other day.
"Lillie? What are you doing here?"
"I'd thought I'd see you here." she laughed. "Selma put you in a bit of a pickle yesterday but she gave me an idea." she poured me some coffee and there were those 4 tears again. "I had it up to here with my co-owner." Lillie sat down next to me at the counter. "She's the one from Canada, you see, she's the one who was set to marry Lyle."
"Someone cheated on her?"
"No, she's as loose and sneaky as they come. Lyle found out 6 months ago and they broke up. Then I found out she's been stealing from me and selling the beans to Moonbucks for twice the price. It wasn't always like that though. She put a lot into this place. When it came down to it she just put more into herself." She laughed. "Yesterday, I realized I got tired of her having all the fun."
"Why sucker me into it?"
"You come in here everyday. I thought I'd take a chance on a familiar face. Besides, I didn't know if I could do the list on my own." she laughed again. "You were always wrapped up in that laptop. I thought maybe I could unwrap you."
"You sure did." I laughed. "Where's your co-owner now?"
"Who knows, who cares. All I know is I got twice as many beans now and no one to share them with." she squeezed my shoulder before she went back to the register to take a few orders. "If you know anyone who needs a steady coffeeshop gig, let me know. I think I'm looking for a combination barista guitarist."
I stood up and walked back to my corner booth and opened my laptop. Another client gone and a fax to send - back to my office. I waved to Lillie and dodged the ladder in front of the stain glass door. A man was altering the coffeeshop sign.
Lillies' turned into Lillie's.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)I love your title, and what a great story! It reads like real-life drama - is it?Thank you, Jennifer.
No, it's not real, but I wish it was!Well it's real in my head now!
nice, interesting. fun to write, I bet.
thanks for being in our groupYou're welcome, I love being in this group!
Yes, it was fun to write, although sometimes the negative voice inside me says, "this is dumb, Amanda, nobody is going to like this." I just try to ignore it and remember, this is fun and rewarding.
nice, interesting. fun to write, I bet.
thanks for being in our group
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