A perfect coffee date - The things we do for love

“Maybe if you moved away from my ear a little, I wouldn't be depressed about not being in a relationship”

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Shirley placed her palm over the mouthpiece of her cell phone and then stuck her tongue out at Vivian before taking the covers off herself and heading out of the room they shared.

Vivian dragged the covers up to her chin then closed her eyes and tried to let go of the fact that she was still nursing a painful heartbreak. Jeremiah had been a jerk.

“I can date almost any guy. I can tolerate them. I just have a way around people” she used to say to Shirley when she walked into another messy relationship, she had said that to herself for so long that she began to believe it. Her experience with Jeremiah made her realize it was a lie. She couldn't cope with him.

But she missed him today.

There was a soothing feeling that came with knowing someone in the world had eyes for you, even when he didn't have eyes for you alone. She sighed and rolled over to her side.

She was just beginning to give herself away to slumber when she felt Shirley's weight press down on the mattress they lay on.

“Hey girl, easy,” Vivian muttered.

“Yo, you can't be sleeping by 10:45 pm” Vivian's voice whispered into her ears.

“Says who?”

“Get up. I need your help”

Vivian groaned when Shirley turned the bedroom light on. That was the only way to ensure she didn't sleep off when Shirley was talking.

“What's up?”

Shirley began to pace.

“Mark wants me to start his day with him tomorrow”

Vivian dragged herself to sit up.

“What does that even mean?”

“I don't know. He has this bucket list of things he wants to do with me, and the first one says that he wants to start his day with me. I thought it was cool so I said “Okay, we can do that” until he tells me that he starts his day by jogging 25 kilometers and a cup of coffee afterward.”

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“Okay, let me get this straight. Mark has a bucket list. Starting his day with you is the first on that list and you said it was okay” Shirley nodded as she spoke “Mark starts his day with jogging and coffee. What's the big deal?”

“I don't take coffee, Viv!”

Vivian dragged a hand through her hair. Shirley reacted to caffeine a little more intensely than other people. She wasn't caffeine intolerant, she just couldn't take coffee like normal people.

“Well, there's a couple of things you could do. But hol’up girl. Why didn't you just tell him you don't do coffee?”

“This is important to him, Viv. He can barely stop talking about it.” Vivian sighed.

“Well, you could take a latte. Or decaf coffee. Then take a lot of water after the coffee.”

“Decaf. I'll do decaf with lots of milk. Thank Viv”

Vivian smiled as Shirley emerged from the room in her pair of blue joggers and a matching tank top the next morning. She had her black hair tied back in a ponytail and had glossed her small, pink lips.

“You look amazing.” Vivian opened her arms for an embrace. “If you cannot handle the coffee, excuse yourself politely and come home. Okay?” Shirley nodded, gave a final squeeze, and headed out.

She met Mark just beside the beach at exactly 6 am.

“You ready?” She nodded when he asked, ignoring the uneasy feeling in her stomach.

At about 6:45 am, they were at ‘The perfect coffee shop’.

“Hi Mark,” Shirley smiled at the old, burly man who waved at Mark from the coffee stand. “What would you be having today?”

“The usual, and uh…” he turned to Shirley “What would you have?”

“Decaf. With lots of milk, please” She gave a smile when Mark raised his brow.

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“You don't take caffeine, do you?” he asked after watching her take sips sparingly from her coffee. She offered an apologetic smile and shook her head. “Why didn't you just say so? Are you intolerant?”

“No, it's fine. I just…I react a little more intensely than other caffeine-sensitive people. But I'm okay”

She was surprised when Mark took her hand.

“I can see you did this for me. It means a whole lot, thank you”.

She placed a hand over his.

“You should meet my friend Viv, and thank her some time. I'm here because she told me what to do”.

“Can I add that to my bucket list?” they both laughed as they locked their hands together, ready to leave.

Shirley took one last look at the shop and replaced the word ‘shop’ with ‘date’ in her mind.

Against all odds, she just had the perfect coffee date.