Not long ago I began a job at a just-opened restaurant/bar/cafe called HOA. According to the owner the idea of blending a coffee bar, restaurant and booze bar was revolutionary. "You can come in, have a few drinks from a full bar, have a nice big dinner and relax with a coffee after word" he would say, eye brow raised towards me, as if sharing a special secret. "Revolutionary".
After a few months we began getting regulars, especially for coffee. We were the only place in town that served a brand called Havana, which had a very distinct and strong flavor. Perhaps it was highly addictive as well, because many of the coffee regulars would come in 2 or 3 times a day for double or triple shot flat whites, lattes, cappucinos...etc. For those of you who do not know what a flat white is, it's a double shot of espresso with little foam and about half the milk of a latte. It's a strong milky coffee basically.
At some point a tall, nervous man who looked to be a house painter started coming in. At first it was 2-3 times a day, but very quickly we began seeing him 4,5,6 times a day. Always a flat white, sometimes with an extra shot. Flat White guy spoke quickly, drank quickly and smiled a twitchy smile as he sprinted in and out of the bar. We never discovered his name and one day just stopped coming in, just like that. Maybe he moved, maybe he had a massive heart attack, we'll probably never know. But what we can certainly be sure of is his pee reeked incredibly of espresso.
No comments:
Post a Comment