The Coffee Shop Encounter That Changed My Life: A Charming Romance

I'd see her at the Corner Coffee about once a week. I go there everyday for lunch. It's conveniently close to my office, but she's such a random element of brightness that walks in only sometimes during my afternoon hour. I'd be lying to myself if I didn't say that the only reason I did go there every day was because I knew I could count on her to show up at least part of the time.

Max was with me today, being a good work colleague he sometimes shares his lunch hour with me rather than his new wife. He'd go on about her sometimes, which is fine and I'm happy for them both, but it simply serves to remind me just how single I really am.

Today was my lucky day though. She showed up almost right after I did, and ordered a mint chocolate coffee and a muffin. Her name's Karen. I discerned that from her orders being called by the barista, but I knew very little else about her. She's as tall as I am, almost exactly, which is striking for a woman to be six foot two. Her blonde hair only fell to above her shoulders, the strands framing her face with the rest pulled back to a tight bun. Her eyes were the brightest blue that only emphasized her lazy smile and casual manner. She was athletic, to be certain, and one could tell by her defined legs. Not too muscular, but smooth and toned. The rest of her gorgeous figure was never on display. She wore more conservative clothing, perhaps a sign of a businesswoman or executive. The modest clothes couldn't do much to hide her sizable chest though. She was amazingly well-endowed and went to some lengths to hide that fact. Maybe she wanted to be recognized for her merits up the corporate chain rather than her assets?

"Thad, just go ask her out," Max said, breaking my whole appreciation process. "You've not heard a damn word I said, and you just keep staring. If she notices you she'd think you're a creeper."

My mouth agape, I came back with a witty retort. "Nuh-uh."

"Whatever. I seen you staring at her before, and it's always a challenge to keep your attention when she's here."

"Sorry, sorry, what were you saying?" I asked. She was wearing a lovely cardigan sweater today, a deeper reddish hue, with black pants that hugged her hips to a tantalizing degree. The sweater would help keep some of this New York winter's cold away, but not that much. She didn't even wear any kind of jacket! She must truly defy generalities of females and not mind the cold.

Max pointed toward his laptop. "Well, the invert elevations don't seem to match the reference points we set up the other day. I'm thinking it has to do with the building that superhero group moved into. They've probably got some kind of equipment throwing the readings off."

"Is it something we can send an assistant to re-do or do we have to recalculate the whole mess?" I was half paying attention to the surveying jargon coming from Max's direction, my head still tilted the other way.

"I'm not sure if the entire set is wrong or not, I just noticed it and haven't checked the rest of the sites yet..." Max trailed off, focusing on his computer.

Karen got up, and started walking to the door, stopping to fix her coffee before she left. I had turned around in my seat almost completely to watch her go, my heart sinking at the prospect of her leaving.

"Seriously man, just go," Max told me.

"What? No, I couldn't, she's gotta have a boyfriend or something," I muttered.

"You don't know that. Here, make you a deal," Max said as he leaned in, a grin on his face. "You go ask her out right now. If you do, I'll cover the recalculation on this grid, and I'll cover for you the rest of the day. Half day."

"All I have to do is ask? That's it?"

"Just go get it out of your system," Max told me, his tone serious. "Trust me, it'll be better for both of us."

"I don't know..." I said as she strode out of the shop, making her usual left turn toward next week.

"Half. Day. Dude! Thad, it'd be an early weekend!"

I faltered, I was nervous, but Max was right. Who was I to not try? And if he's gonna cover for me it's all the better. But... "What do I say? I'm not the pick-up line kinda guy."

"Just tell her you think she's beautiful, we both know that much is true. Hurry up man, she's getting away!"

"Okay. Okay. Okay," I stammered. I quickly strode toward the door, made the left outside, and saw her blonde head bob down the Manhattan avenue. I chased after her, making easy time since she wasn't in any hurry it seemed. The street was packed with people. Dodging other pedestrians was harder on a busy sidewalk, but people can tell a man in a hurry.

I didn't call out to her until I was almost alongside her. "Miss? Excuse me, miss?" She turned my way and looked in my eyes as I got lost in hers. She smiled at me.

"Yes?" She smiled at me. It was like my knees turned to liquid, my heart rose out of my chest, and my tongue caught in my throat all at once, but I kept it together. Right.

"You forgot this," I said holding up the paper coffee cup sleeve I'd grabbed on my way out after I noticed she didn't take one.

"Wow, how thoughtful," she said with a mark of disbelief, but the smile remained.

"Please, allow me," I offered, since her other hand was holding her purse and take out bag with her muffin.

"Well thank you, kind stranger, I don't know what I'd have done without you," she joked as she handed me her cup.

"Well, it's a tough job keeping the citizens safe from evil coffee cups, but someone has to do it," I said as I handed her cup back, now well protected. "I'm Thad, by the way."

"Karen," she responded. "Nice to meet you Thad."

"I, uh, just wanted to tell you that I think you're gorgeous, Karen," I said, the nervousness returned to my voice ever so slightly. I felt like a child, like I should be looking down, hands behind my back, twisting my foot in the sandbox, yet I couldn't keep my eyes from hers.

Her smile vanished, her mouth opened, and her eyes rolled skyward before they closed. My heart sank a little, but I pressed on just the same. Some good had to come of this, right?

"...and I'd like to take you out sometime," I finished. I waited and read her ever-changing expression. Her eyes came back to mine for a moment before they dropped, and she smiled smugly.

"Sure, Thad. That sounds nice," she said, taking on an air of apathy. "I like Chinese. Meet me at Xiauyu's on Atlantic in Brooklyn tomorrow night at seven. But for now I gotta fly." She dashed me a smile, a real one and not a simple pleasantry, and walked away. "See you tomorrow!"

I must have looked dumbstruck, with some silly grin on my face, but I didn't care. I jumped and pumped my fist in the air. I did it! The most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on is meeting me Saturday night for a date! I almost ran back to Corner Coffee, but I was too enthralled with the notion of tomorrow night.

I opened the door to the shop and looked Max dead in the eye. "I'm taking the rest of today off, sucker! Ha ha!"

---------

I made sure I was early, and even checked to see if I could make reservations, something set off to the side so as to be as intimate as possible. I checked my wool overcoat at the door, and went to the bathroom for a pre-game solo pep talk. I checked my hair in the mirror, adjusted my tie, cuffs, and waistline. I even applied a bit more cologne so it was still noticeable. Jittery nerves don't even begin to describe what I was feeling.

The restaurant was definitely a step up from simple American dining. Perfectly dimly lit in reddish hues, it had Chinese artwork, statues, and arrangements all over its somewhat small interior. The prices on the menu I checked out online beforehand suggested it was nicer than your average restaurant, and it did indeed impress. Even the bathroom was clean, scented, and had a small waterfall decoration built into the wall. Perhaps it was more of an aid than a decoration.

When I came out of the bathroom, there she was, looking around, waiting for me. She was radiant. Since it was winter she had another sweater on, this one a light blue, cut at the neck to the exposed right shoulder. She was still doing well to cover up her bosom, which in many ways made it even more sexy. She wore a plain white skirt that had frills at the bottom, showing her lovely calves, and blue flats. I suppose she didn't want to appear any taller than she already was. She wore her hair well styled, combed straight down but with a flip upward at the bottom. The whole look was kind of fifties-housewife, with the exception of the somewhat suggestive cut in her sweater. It truly worked on her. Then again, I think she could pull off just about anything.

Eight o'clock on the nose. Certainly can't fault her for punctuality.

"Karen?" I asked as I approached her. She turned to me and smiled. "I'm really glad you came."

"You think I'd stand you up?" she said, looking confused.

"Well, I'd really hoped not, since you were incredibly specific about the where and when..."

"If I really wanted to blow you off, I could have just given you a fake phone number, that's my usual M.O.," she said as she glanced around looking at the art.

"I'm, uh, flattered?"

She looked back to me, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, it's just that it happens and there's a lot of creeps out there," she said. "But you seemed nice!" She shrugged with an apologetic smile.

"I suppose that's points for me, I guess."

She grinned. "Yeah, it is."

I turned to the host as he approached and let him know we had a reservation, and for a specific table at that. He was most agreeable and sat us immediately. I let the lady lead, for on every count I wanted to be seen as a gentleman. And I loved her curves under that skirt.

"You've been here before?" she asked.

"No, but I checked it out online and just asked if we could get more private seats - I hope that's okay with you?" I asked with concern.

"Yeah, yes, it's very okay with me," she said almost to herself as she looked over the menu, lips upturned. "Bonus points, even."

I smiled back. The cuisine was fine, the company the finest. We talked for the couple hours we were there. She told me about her company (her company!) Starr Enterprises and how it was doing scientific research to help the environment, but they're just getting started. She's got hiring to do, and working with certain people is a nightmare, and the interviews she's had, and how she's just not as organized as she ought to be...it was actually very interesting. Not only is she gorgeous and pleasant, but motivated and confident enough to tackle a whole company on her own! She told me about her new apartment here in Brooklyn, and how she picked this place because it was close to where she lived. She talked about her cat, who was up until recently nameless, but is now called Stinky. It was the mangiest ugliest excuse for a cat, but she loved it anyway. I told her about my work as a surveyor, my place in Queens, my office in Manhattan, and my friends and co-workers. We discussed current events, like the effect superheroes are having on global trends of terrorism, why they’re needed in today’s society, and if their price of power is too high. She jokes about them like she knows them, and perhaps she does, considering her influence as a CEO.

Dinner came to an exquisite close with red bean ice cream. "May I give you a ride back to your place?" I asked.

She faltered a bit, a smidgen of worry on her face as her eyes darted away. "Uh, I think I'm just gonna walk, it's not very far."

"Isn't Park Slope like, more than twenty blocks from here?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I like the walk," she looked down, "especially after a meal, you know, metabolism and such."

"Well," I started, "at least let me accompany you home?"

She smiled as she exhaled, and looked back up to me. "As long as you don't mind the walk."

For her? Not even the slightest.

We continued our conversation as we walked, our talk moving to focus on our common interests in music and movies. She's into a lot of jazz and electronica, whereas I'm more into classic rock and alternative. She likes horror films, I like comedies. In

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THE END