#Erika Shadow @shadow_erika

[swistrikova-blog]

Cafe ’ Magick

Lacy left pre-calculus exhausted. She desperately needed some coffee to stay alert while she finished polishing the final paper for her creative writing class. Her muse was wavering since her best friend left school. Amanda was pregnant. Lacy was depressed.

Walking the familiar streets of New Town, her feet moved as if on autopilot to her favorite Star Buckles Café. Every Wednesday evening, she would write, and people watch while polishing off her favorite toffee flavored latte. Phone in hand as she traveled, she noticed her battery was almost dead and the door handle to the coffee shop refused to budge. She stepped back and noticed a huge “closed for remodeling” sign. “Shit!”

She quickly Google-searched for another coffee shop and followed her pedestrian enabled GPS. Another Star Buckles was further downtown than she was comfortable with. Her father told her to stay near the school to stay safe. Yet, she was feeling desperate and would risk walking further away from campus to keep a semblance of her routine.

“Walk two blocks South and your destination is on the left.” The GPS voice-prompted and her phone died. She shook her head in disgust.

Lacy missed her friend something awful, her room was too quiet, and she had no one to talk too. Deeply lost in her thoughts she missed the left turn and kept walking South. After four blocks she realized her error, but she noticed a cute little coffee and tea shop to her right and headed for it.

As she entered Café Magick, a small smile graced her lips at the cute French Apothecary theme of the shop. An old-style bell chimed when she opened the door and the hip clothing and hairstyles of the customers seemed at odds with the homogenous conventions of her usual haunt. "What is this place?" She thought. A larger smile graced her face when she noticed the cutest girl in her writing class working the coffee machine.

Lacy slowly made her way to the counter fascinated by the décor of the place and the calm mood it elicited inside her. “Kristin, hi!”

The five-foot-five twenty-something was wiping down the coffee machine. Spiky dark brown hair with purple tips, vivid blue eyes, and a right eyebrow piercing looked up and threw Lacy off guard by the smile that radiated through her entire face. “Hi. Lacy right? You are in my writing class.”

Lacy giggled awkwardly. "Yes, I am. I have never been here before. I usually go to Star Buckles off Main Street, but it’s closed." 

Kristin looked offended. “Pfff, this place is way better than that shithole. What can I get you?” She pointed to a chalkboard. “Those are today’s specials.”

Lacy rubbed her chin in thought, her cute long blond hair bouncing slightly. “Um, I think I will try a medium lavender-vanilla latte with soymilk on ice, please. I have never had lavender in my coffee before.”

“Coming right up.” Kristin smiled again. “Why don’t you pick a seat. This place will fill up soon.”

"Thank you," Lacy said.

 She quickly found a cozy little nook near the front window that two women had just vacated. This was already her favorite spot in the store. The bay window next to her seat offered her a view of the various colored apothecary bottles on the window shelves. She could see the world outside and had a complete view of the patrons inside of the shop. She pulled her laptop, pen, and paper out while Kristin hand-delivered her coffee.

“Let me know if you need anything else.” She said and sauntered off.

The environment was fueling Lacy’s creativity and the finishing touches on her paper went perfect. Not long after she saved then emailed her final draft to her professor, a hoard of drag queens entered the store in all their flamboyant and boisterous glory.

The scene before her opened her eyes to the subtle rainbow items, the predominant women, and the drags queens. "Oh my God, I am in the gay district," she thought. She opened her word processor and wrote, and people watched, and her muse hit her with a wave of ethereal inspiration.

Night had fallen, and the shop was slowly emptying. Kristin walked over to Lacy. “Hey, you looked so busy earlier that I didn't want to bother you. I thought you would like some water and, just so you know, we are about to close soon.”

“Thank you!” Lacy sucked down the water and swished some inside her mouth. “I have to admit something. Lavender is the worst tasting stuff to put into coffee.”

Kristin laughed. “Isn’t though. You should have asked for a new drink.”

Lacy’s hazel eyes peered into Kristin’s. "I guess I am not used to complaining. My dad’s motto is "suck it up buttercup," so I usually do.”

Kristin sat down. “Well, buttercup next time you are in here I will buy you a coffee to make up for that one deal?”

Lacy shot out her hand to shake the brunettes. “Deal. I have another problem. My phone died and I have no idea how to get home from here.”

“If you want to wait, I can give you a ride back to the dorms. Just give me fifteen more minutes to wrap up.” The barista moved to the counter and asked, “how do you like the gay district?”

Lacy moved closer so they could talk. “I love it! My muse came back to me tonight. My roommate and best friend left two weeks ago, and I have been miserable. Then my favorite coffee shop was closed, and I thought things could not get any worse.”

“Don’t forget about the nasty lavender coffee.” Kristin winked.

“Ha! Yep, that too. But truthfully tonight has felt like a door has opened, and my life will take on a new path. Getting lost and finding this place seems like fate to me.”

Kristin locked the front door and guided Lacy out the back to the small reserved parking lot to her car. A black shiny two thousand something Camaro sat under a bright streetlight.

Lacy squealed. “Is that your car?”

“Yes, it is.” Kristin smiled proudly.

“Please tell me it has a V8 in it.” Lacy gently rubbed the passenger door. “My father and I love car shows.”

"Could anyone drive a muscle car without one?" Kristin scoffed. "She has a 350 and a stick."

Lacy stared at Kristin for a moment before asking. "Are you single?"

"Yes, I am."

 Lacy grabbed her chest and slide into the leather seat. "Be still my heart… this just may be the best night ever!"