The Gentleman and Barista

In a building on a busy city corner, is a cozy little coffee shop. Every day, amongst all the hustle and bustle, came a man for coffee and cake. He would sit in the corner spot by the window and either read his books or doodle in a notebook. In fact, the only days he did not have coffee and more importantly his chocolate cake were the days that the shop was closed. To this he would order a piece of cake to go the day prior, ensuring he would not miss his fix.

Years went by and the man still came in daily. A younger generation had taken over both customer base and employees. With their heads buried in their phones, the man blended in with ease. Most of the baristas could not even tell you what he looked like, much less the fact that he orders seven pieces of cake a week. He would just sit and enjoy his cake while people watching before diving back into a book as he sipped on a cup of straight black coffee.

As time continued to pass, the shop eventually changed owners. This was one of the few times the man ever spoke about anything to anyone in the café. He had to make sure the cake recipe was followed by the new owners. After hearing the man’s pleas, the young couple agreed to keep the chocolate cake a staple of the shop. He promised to buy any unsold cake at weeks end if needed. Although the couple found the man to be quite odd, the struggling new owners appreciated the steady revenue.

Decades of cake and coffee had now passed. The man in the window was hardly recognizable compared to the younger version that once occupied the same spot so long ago. Tired, grey, wrinkled, and worn he was, yet still he never missed his cake and coffee. Finally, a younger soul took notice of the man. Just a teen, still in school, but different than the other.

“What is that guys name?” She asks her co-workers to which none of them could provide an answer. This really upset her as she thought about him the rest of the day, trying to imagine what his story could be.

The following day, just as usual the old man approaches the counter and hangs his cane on the edge to pull out his money and order.

“What is your name?” The curious girl asks, pushing the cake and coffee towards him waving off the cash.

The man answers, nodding awkwardly, “Harold.”

Well, it was a start she thought, watching him stare out the window enjoying the sweet delight with a smile on his face. Every time, the barista gets caught up in the morning chaos and she never catches Harold before he leaves. Her curiosity ate at her, she had to talk to him. Of course, it took the wisdom of her mother to show her the way.

The following Monday, Harold arrived at his usual time, ordering the same as always. When he approaches his seat with his coffee and cake, Harold is caught off guard. For the first time that he can remember, his seat was occupied. There sat the barista, looking up at Harold to greet him. She stands up to offer Harold his seat and pulls a chair up to join him. He watched the young lady nervously, wondering why she insisted on interrupting his precious moment.

“I will get right too it,” she says to Harold. “Tell me why you come here every day and order the same thing day in and day out? You never talk to anyone, other than to order.”

“If I do, will you leave me alone then?”

She nodded excitedly, although she was caught off guard by his grumpiness. Harold took a sip of his coffee before brushing his lips with a napkin and began his story.

“I lost my wife when I was young, before we even had a chance to start a family.” Harold sighs as a single tear forms in the corner of his eye, he always dreaded telling this story. “At the time of our marriage, the lady here at this café made our cake. My wife insisted that the baker use her chocolate cake recipe, in fact they almost came to blows over it. Not too long after, my wife left this world unexpectedly…….. the day of her funeral, I was walking down this street, and caught a familiar aroma in the wind. This smell brought me back to our kitchen, watching my beautiful wife mixing together her famous chocolate cake.”

He continued to tell the story of how he fought to keep the cake here, through the different owners and times. He explained to the barista that he feared of loving again, that he never wanted to forget his wife. This cake was his key to remembering her every single day, perhaps it kept him from losing his mind he thought. When he finished, Harold stood up abruptly and rushed out the door, leaving the sacred cake untouched.

The next day, the barista waited for Harold to come in as she saved his cake from yesterday. As the hours passed, Harold never showed. This really bothered her, but she had no way of looking Harold up, no way of knowing if he was alright. Days turned into weeks, and no sign of Harold. Even on her days off, the barista would come in and wait for Harold in his spot. Before she knew it, time eventually began erasing the thoughts of Harold and life resumed as usual.

One afternoon, the barista was reminded of Harold as she was cleaning the spot he once sat so many times. She stared out the window, thinking of him just as he would think of his wife. The barista was brought back to reality by the door chime, a man in a suit carrying a briefcase.

“Hello there, I am looking for a woman named Alexandria?”

The man set his things on the table next to Harold’s and opened his briefcase.

Confused as to what was happening the barista answers, “I am Alex.”

“Alexandria, sign here saying you received this envelope, and I will be on my way.”

“Why, what is this and who are you?”

The man smiles, “My apologies madam, I am from a long-named attorney’s office, we handle estates and trusts. I am assuming you know a gentlemen named Harold?”

The girl turns pale as the snow, there is no way what she heard was what this man just said. Her hands are shaking as she reaches for the paper and pen, looking at the envelope in this man’s hands. The two exchange paper for envelope and Alex walks the man out. She turns the sign to closed and takes the envelope over to Harold’s spot to examine its contents. Inside she finds a short, handwritten letter, followed by several other documents and a piece of paper about the size of a check.

Alex decides to read the letter before looking at the rest. In just a few sentences, Harold explains that he bought the café and left it for Alex, along with enough money to keep things going while she finishes college. All he asked was that Alex keep serving the chocolate cake. Harold ended the letter with a simple thank you for being human.

Alex holds the papers to the side to avoid getting them wet from her tears as she continued. The rest contained the deed to the café, the receipt for her tuition, and a check. Apparently, Harold was very well off. Now in an instant, so was Alex.