Like Any Other Day

Like any other day, I sat at my favorite table at the coffee shop across from my apartment building. It’s so peaceful here early in the morning. There’s not many people, so you can hear some people’s conversations. For example, a women and a man came in and were talking about when they used to be a couple. The man was smiling as he sunk down in his chair a little when she said “it was good that we had ended things, I much rather like being friends instead.” I’d have to say he didn’t reciprocate her feelings about their relationship. At a different table two women dressed in suits were talking about their busy lives. How being mothers and having jobs can be tough. Speaking of I think I see them come complain about their husbands here about once a month. They must be pretty busy, however not as busy as the older woman shouting at the cashier, that the coffee she received isn’t the one she ordered and she’s got an appointment to be going too. I feel bad for Jeannie, I’ll usually leave her a nice tip especially when I see her having to deal with people like that. I write all of this inside my little black notebook. I do this for fun. So I had finished my coffee and headed off to work. I was tired of that job. I was always on verge of being fired for just doing my job. Today was the day they had to make an example out of someone and I was that someone. So I drove back home without a job. I had gone home and I had a date so I showered and put on my “going on a date” clothes and went to go pick her up. I got to her house and when she opened the door. She was in a robe and her hair was a mess. She said she was sorry that she forgot to call and cancel because she had gotten sick. I said it was fine and that I hoped she felt better soon. I was already dressed to go out so I went to a bar and met up with some friends. The night had gone by so fast and before I knew it I was in my bed at home. I woke up with the most terrible hangover and no recollection of what happened the night before. I took a shower and got dressed. I was getting ready to go to the coffee shop. My little black notebook was gone. In its place was an envelope addressed to me. Inside the envelope was five thousand dollars in cash. I have no clue why or how I received this money. Did I sell my little black book? I never told anyone about what I wrote in the little black book so who could’ve known and who would’ve wanted it so bad that they’d give me five thousand dollars. So I went to the coffee shop and couldn’t find it anywhere. I listened to the people and no one was talking about anything related to it. I felt lost without it. Jeannie walked over and asked me why I wasn’t writing this morning? I said that it seems I had lost my little black notebook. She said you mean the one I bought from you last night as she held my little notebook in her hand. I said “you bought it? How did you have five thousand dollars?” She said “all the times you had given me extra money for having to deal with terrible customers over the last five years.” I asked her why she would do that. She said,”last night at the bar, you said you got fired and I’ve always wanted to read what you write in this little notebook of yours. I figured five thousand dollars would help you and be an acceptable price to read the notebook.” I tried to say five thousand was too much. She still wouldn’t take it back. She left the little black notebook on the table. I flipped to what would’ve been the next blank page and she had written a morning about me. With her number down at the bottom of page.