Mystery cup.

A peaceful evening. A deserted coffee shop. I crave company, anyone to whom I may share this coffee shop with. A friend, a stranger, an ex-lover. Simutaneously, I desire to isolate myself from the company I yearn for. Irony runs its way through my veins.

Door opening, a red-haired woman walks in confidently with a pile of books. Picking a table not far from my own, she takes off her sweater, straightens her blue beret, and walks to the counter to order a coffee. Maybe a tea. Hot chocolate even. But I sense that she is a coffee woman. With a mug full of mystery liquid, she returns to her books, inserts headphones in ears hidden behind firey hair. Not once does she look at me, nor does she seem to be aware of my presence at the round table in the corner. Contently, she indulges herself in the little pleasures of music, words, and the drinkable substance before her.

I gaze down to my own book, and take a sip of my luke-warm coffee. Feeling like I made a friend on this quiet evening. Happy for the company. Wondering what she is thinking. Thinking that because I wonder, I'm a freak. Freaking out that I may be losing it. Realizing I haven't even read any words. Words..Sentences..Thoughts.. nothing made sense. I begin to re-read the same paragraph. Mere moments have passed.

A young couple walks in. Silent. But silence alone does not enter with them. A little golden haired girl fills up the coffee shop with her bubbling voice. "I can get anything I want? Mommy what are you getting? Daddy, I can get anything I want!" Excitement fills her adorable body as she twirls around in her pink ballerina skirt, and grabs her mother's hand. The parents converse with her in a most mature way. They do not baby her. Love exudes from each one of them and this simple trip to the coffee shop most obviously makes this small girl's evening. Makes the parents evening. The girl continues to babble in her high voice. They choose a table around the corner from my own. As they pass, the little darling looks at me and waves her tiny little hand in my direction.

A red haired woman. A family of three. My company. I observe, to be thankful. To stretch my mind. To imagine. A fellow loner brings me comfort in knowing I'm not the only one spending the evening with the presense of no other. A vibrant family treating their child to a night out, brings me a feeling of hope for upcoming moments of joy.

Simple pleasures in life. Sometimes they hide in the corner of a coffee shop.