The coffee shop was packed to its full capacity on that Monday morning. The queue that had formed twisted and filled the tiny shop.
Ryan came bursting in through the door, his chest heaving with exertion. Breathing heavily and nervously glancing at his watch, he stumbled to a stop in front of Martha who was first in line. One look at him told Martha that he was probably running late for office. With a slight smile on her face, she informed him that she was happy to give up her place in the queue for him.
No one messed around with Martha. The steely glint in her eyes and the walking stick clutched in her hands put off anyone who might have otherwise dared to challenge her actions. Cradling his decaf, the young executive thanked Martha profusely and went his merry way.
Saving a place in the queue and walking around the block became a daily routine for the two. He was no longer late. He arrived early so that he was never late to office despite walking Martha from the coffee shop to the metro every day. As years passed by, the bond they shared grew stronger, with each passing day.
Life hadn’t been particularly fair to Martha. Widowed at an early age, she worked very hard to raise her only son, who proceeded to ignore her and left her to fend for herself. An act of kindness on a busy Monday morning several years ago led Martha to her new loving, surrogate family. No longer did she hate the holidays, now that she had the company of Ryan and his family. Amy, Ryan’s wife, was one of the few people who dared to stand up to Martha when she was wrong and their kids turned her house upside-down. A shared love for coffee had gained Martha not only a son but also a daughter-like Amy to share recipes and gossip and grandchildren to fuss over. For the first time in a long while, Martha was truly happy, surrounded by her loved ones. All was well.
Moral of the story – So much can happen over a cup of coffee but that doesn’t always include meeting the love of your life. At least, not in this story. 😉😂😁
Author’s Note:
Yep. This one diverted from the theme! I’ll admit that this post was no tiny tale, but nevertheless, I sincerely hope that you liked it. 🙂 
P.S: Do let me know if you found out the Harry Potter reference in the story. 😉
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© 2017 Shweta Suresh. All rights reserved.
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My Random Ramblings 
Warm story. I liked the twist in how coffee helped the characters. Thumbs up for trying a different track rather than the same-old romance trick. 🙂
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Thank you so much. I’m so glad that you liked the twist. That was exactly my intention. I didn’t want to go down the same road as many before me. I’m happy to know that you enjoyed it. 😄
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