Lisa

If I had an umbrella, I still would’ve been soaked. It was the type of fast and furious rain that flew sideways so everyone who rushed into the Corner Store Coffee Shop, that miserable afternoon, was completely drenched, just like me.  Everyone except one man.

As I moved with my fellow drowned rats to stand in the long line of the packed coffee house, I watched this dry, comfortable man meticulously remove his rain gear and lay each waterproofed piece over the chairs surrounding his table.  The room was filled to the brim with sopping wet, cold patrons and this clueless dude, chose to hoard the only four available chairs in the entire shop. It was so typical. I certainly wasn’t surprised. I’d known Harold for 17 years and he’d always been a selfish little shit.

 

Harold

I draped my leggings over the back of the chair and grimaced as I watched the rainwater slither down the pants and pool onto the wooden seat. Nothing I could do about that, so I turned to the only remaining dry chair at my table, pulled it out, sat down and with a sigh, wrapped my cold hands around the steaming cup of coffee. As I took my first sip, I glanced up and nearly choked when I saw Lisa standing in the line to order but glaring at me like I had just kicked a kitten.

“What now?  What possibly could I have done this time?”

In all the years we taught together at the University, I don’t think she had ever once said a kind word to me. I never even got a half smile. I saw her smile and laugh with other people, so I knew she was capable of smiling, just not in my general direction. In fact, she could be in mid-laugh and her eyes would land on me and whoosh it was gone. Only to be replaced by what I referred to as one of her 3 D’s: disdain, disappointment or disgust.

I looked out the window at the torrential downpour and assumed she wouldn't be getting her coffee to go.