Chapter 1: The Coffee Shop
Tags: Fiction, Series, Love, Life, Mental Health

The Field of Infinite Flowers

I’ve been coming to the same coffee shop since I was thirteen, and was finally allowed to go out alone. I’ve lived in the same small town my whole life, which happens to be located in Maryland. Berlin has always been my home, and there’s a coffee shop right off the corner of my street. It was as far as my parents would let me go alone, but I would always spend all day there. Not that much has changed. I’m sixteen and sitting in the same coffee shop doing my essay about how Mark Twain influenced American Literature. The waiters know me by name, and I always sit in the same spot, where I can plug in my 2018 fifteen inch MacBook that my parents got me for Christmas after bugging them all year for it. It feels like I never go farther than this spot. It’s like my body won’t let me. I sit back and sigh from boredom as I do not want to continue writing about Mark Twain. It’s only four in the afternoon and I feel drained. I take a sip of my half depleted cup of black coffee with extra sugar as I hear a familiar voice come from behind me.

“Luna, don’t overwork yourself now darling, you’ve been sitting in the same spot all day! How do you expect to be an English Professor when you can barely write an essay about who it is? Mark Twain? Whoever that is.” She saids as I turn around to catch a glimpse of her luscious dark skin cleaning the table behind me. She owns the coffee shop, and she’s known me since I was young since she is a friend of my parents. I call her Mrs. Riley.

“Mrs. Riley, that was my dream when I was nine, I want to be a psychiatrist now, it’s my major in high school. But what are you doing cleaning the tables? You usually only manage the cash register, and Beatrice usually wipes down everything? Is she not here today?” I ask with bubbling curiosity as I did not get my usual enthusiastic welcome when I walked in from Beatrice as I usually do.

“She called in sick today, and since Daniel left for college we are short staffed…” She said sighing as she moves onto the table next to me. “…Beatrice said she’d be back tomorrow so until then I have to hold the fort down myself.”

“You’re doing great, I’m sure everything will sort itself out eventually.” I say smiling hoping to lift her mood even the slightest bit.

“Hopeful as usual, that hasn’t changed since you were nine, and even younger than that.” She exclaimed walking away from me as a customer entered the shop to go take their order. I smile as I see the slight smirk on her face from my comment. I look down at my coffee and admire it in all it’s beauty. I’ve ordered the same thing since I was younger and have never gotten bored of it. I live a simplistic lifestyle and never really leave my comfort zone. I’ve been in online school since I was ten due to my overwhelming anxiety in school, and ever since I was eleven I have had my heart set on being a psychiatrist to help other people like me. I like keeping things as minimal as possible, and hate doing things things to drastic.

I look over to the window that I’ve always say next to. This is my seat and it has been. It has my imprint. I see the sun going down and look at the colors swirl in the sky. Pink into purple into blue. It looks so peaceful and fills me with a feeling that I have trouble explaining. I sip my coffee, and start packing up my things. I always get an overwhelming sense of sadness when I have to leave, though I know I’ll be back tomorrow. Things from an outside perspective may seem so simple, and I wonder how people view me. How Mrs. Riley and Beatrice view me. How my parents view me. I wish I knew. With that thought I place my hand on the gold handle that I’ve admired since I first stepped foot into this place. I step outside and feel the cool breeze on me, and look up at the sign. “Blue moon Café — Local Coffee Shop”.