The Café Boost

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Coffee, my everyday starter, my go to haven to awaken my nerves and mind raves so I can confront the day heads on and with the right mindset. It has become a ritual that had its claws buried in my subconscious, so much that my mind leads my legs daily to the café without a formal order from my thought process.

As I stepped into the cozy coffee shop that had become a comforting routine in my mornings, I couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee enveloped me, and the soft hum of chatter provided the background music to my daily ritual, which all combined to make the hairs on my body dance to its rhythm.

I approached the counter confidently with a smile, fully expecting the friendly barista, Lisa - who had become more like a buddy to me and many others like me - to greet me with my usual order, and top it off with her beautiful and bright smile.

To my surprise, as I reached the counter, Lisa looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"The usual?" she asked, a confused smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "That's funny, but welcome in! What can I get for you?" she added still smiling confusingly at me.

I chuckled nervously, trying not to show my bewilderment.

"Yeah, the usual," I repeated, my voice sounding a bit uncertain even to my own ears.

It was odd. Lisa and I had shared countless conversations about our hobbies like our favorite books, movies, and even our mutual dislike for rainy days. We had formed a connection beyond just customer and barista.

I'd usually hang by the counter for these discussions as she goes ahead to make my coffee. It was usually fulfilling having someone to talk to, while also having the aroma of the coffee wet my appetite. It always gives me that homely feeling that makes me not miss my ex too much.

As she began preparing my drink that morning, I attempted to engage her in our usual banter.

"Did you catch that new movie everyone's been talking about?" I asked, hoping to jog her memory. But Lisa looked at me with genuine curiosity, as if my question was the most unexpected thing she had heard all day.

"I've been meaning to, but life's been so busy lately," she finally replied after some moments, sounding unsure, with her eyes brightening up with interest. It was like she was meeting me for the first time.

A feeling of unease settled over me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. I paid for my drink and took a seat by the window, mulling over the situation with my eyes permanently fixed on her.

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Maybe Lisa was having a bad day? Or perhaps a new employee had taken over her shift? I contemplated. But that didn't explain the way she had interacted with me.

As I sipped my coffee, lost in thought, I could see one of the regular patrons approaching my table with the same perplexed look on his face. It was John, a fellow early-morning regular, who always sat in the corner with his laptop. I smirked as he took a seat opposite me.

"You noticed it too, huh?" John said, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of amusement and intrigue.

I nodded, relieved that I wasn't the only one experiencing this odd phenomenon. "Yeah, it's like she doesn't remember me at all."

John leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"I've heard rumors about a new technology that's been making its way into some businesses. It's a memory-altering device that can erase certain memories from people's minds. They say it's being used to create a fresh and exciting experience for repeat customers, while also speeding up service time for new ones at establishments like this."

My eyes widened in astonishment. The idea seemed straight out of a science fiction novel. And it was coming from the 'techie' John who's always online and never misses technological conspiracies.

But as I thought about it, it did make sense in a strange way. The coffee shop had been struggling to retain its customer base because the repeat customers like us were taking so much of the barista's time with our chit chats that new customers always felt like their serve time is poor and usually leave impatiently.

As we sat by the window to observe Lisa, we noticed that she had served twice as much customers as she would have on a typical morning with all the little chats with familiar customers and the café hall was getting filled up and buzzing.

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As I kept going back every morning, I found myself growing fond of the novelty. The conversations felt new and exciting even though they were shortlived, and even as I was revisiting the same stories and topics. The coffee shop buzzed with an energy it hadn't had in some time, and customers seemed genuinely thrilled by the experience.

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