Coffee Shop Writing

I really wanted to become one of those people that sets up their laptop in a coffee shop and I would look like I belong. There's always part of me that imagined being one of those writers, I would wear round glasses or vintage frames and I would get one of those giant mugs with steaming coffee and would sip it in silence once in a while. However, that is not exactly how it goes does it? We never imagine it quite right.

I imagined taking my brown American Eagle bag with my laptop and cord in tow. I would park right in front of the coffee shop, get out and find a spot right by the window, so I could people watch and maybe find something inspiring to write about after seeing someone walk by, I would look at the menu and decide what to get I would probably end up getting a chai tea latte or a caramel macchiato and it would cost about $5.50 easily. The barista would make a cute little design of a flower or a leaf on my coffee with the foam that was freshly steamed. I would pay and then sit back down and sip on my drink as the words would flow onto the blank word document or I would edit my current novel. I imagined spending about two hours there, then I would get up again to strectch my legs and get a cookie or muffin to snack on. The coffee shop would be buzzing with quiet, hushed conversations or with laughter and of course, there would be the indie piano music playing in the background, creating the cozy coffee shop vibe that I have always looked for. This was all in my head when I woke up yesterday, I would not feeling guilty for leaving my dog at home because I would be back in a few hours. It's all good fun to imagine that perfect coffee shop writing.

The reality was different though, it was very different. I drove down the main highway and reached the main street, it was the wrong street, I drove around two blocks before finding it, I even stopped by the mail box to pick up the mail. I found the right parking spot and parked at the expected diagonal next to a giant truck that made me nervous that they would slam their door into my car, i readjusted my parking so I would be a little further away. I put in a few quarters in the parking meter for two hours, I stepped into the coffee shop and the whirring of the milk being steamed and the smell of fresh ground coffee hit me reminding me of my parents house. There was already someone in the window spot chatting loudly over their laptop into a work meeting. I scouted out the area and found aspot right by the barista, perfect. I sat down and was getting my laptop out.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked immediately.

I started to stutter, I was not expecting the service to be so good and quick.

"Just give me a minute here," I finally responded.

"Sure thing!" he said enthusiastically.

I finished setting up and came up to the counter. The barista was already at attention waiting for my order.

"Do you guys have a coffee menu?" I asked.

"No, not really, but we can make your basics and more tea lattes, esperesso's, cappuccino's that sort of thing," he explained.

"Right, can I do an iced caramel macchiato medium size please?" i asked

"Of course, anything else?" he asked

"Yes and a chocolate chip muffin," I found myself blurting out, so much for losing weight.

"It's zucchini just so you know," he said. I don't know why, but then i was asking about the coconut muffin, it was banana and I went with that even though it really did not matter to me that it was zucchini or banana.

I got my muffin and sat back down without thinking that I would need a wifi password to login to word. I asked for the password and he provided it to me and I was able to start editing, I hated this part of writing. Editing. Bleh. But I had a muffin and then my coffee arrived. The first sip was delicious as expected.

I found my mind wandering, I should go swimming, but wait my gym bag deodorant was old and no longer working as it turned into a solid rock, i should really go to shoppers and buy some, it is only down the street too. They open at 9 though...okay I will continue editing. I was finally in super hyper focus and it was 8:25 and at 9:05 my mind was wondering once more. The baby crying in the corner did not help, I look over my shoulder. Oh, just a little one barely holding up it's own head. I can forgive that. I try to get back to editing, but now the baby was crying harder and louder. Okay, just push the noise aside, I thought myself. I really need to do grocery shopping, and I should really get that deodorant before I forget again. Nope. This is not working. My mind gave up, and wanted to leave. The mistake I made was not bringing headphones, maybe I would still be focused. I finished my muffin and iced coffee and packed up my belongings and headed out the door. I barely made it an hour and it cost about $10. So much for the coffee shop writing, it worked so well last time, i imagined it would've been about the same, but it wasn't. Every thing seemed different.