The Café

Today was the four hundred and seventh day I found myself in the Café Sella. I don’t know where they get their names. Sella turcica was a depression in the skull for the pituitary gland. But I hardly think that’s the derivation for the name. I don’t know. I’m to drowsy from the sleeping pills. Those damn things don’t work when they are supposed to.

“Two espresso extra dark, low cream, just how I like it” “Ron! How are you feelin?” the barista cheerfully hands me two cups. How does she manage to keep so cheerful, I have no idea. “Great, now that I have my coffee! Your café is a miracle center Bella!” She laughed. “Enjoy!” “Always do Bella, you know it” I smile, taking the cups. I made my way to my usual spot. A table for two that’s never used by more than one person. It’s sad, if you stop to think about it. Which no one does. Too busy, I suppose. And it was perfect for me. The way I see it, my lovely barista Bella won’t throw me out if there are few people staying back. Occasionally college kids get together, office goers out for lunch, or moms with their daughters make up the general population. But I’m mostly a regular fixture, sometimes having coffee and sandwiches, face buried in my laptop. Sometimes Bella gives me a sandwich on the house. Which is nice, I suppose. She was the closest someone I had to a friend.

I downed my first cup of espresso, and started writing. My seat was beside a window, those huge floor to wall glass windows. The view outside was okay, mostly people walking by. But I was more attentive to my laptop. It was going slow. I had no idea how it would seem to my editor. She was on my neck for finishing my book. I was almost through a scene when I felt the chair opposite to me move and scrape. “Hi! Is this seat taken?” I looked up to see a girl in her late twenties, glasses-bangs and denim jacket over a top. Must be from some college. “Sure” I waved my hand, motioning her to sit. ” Oh thank you!” She handed me her cup, some frapachino something. “Hey!” I yelled. The cold was sudden and numbing. “Oh shit sorry! I though you were offering to hold my coffee.” She took the cup, sitting on the table. I nodded. “it’s okay. Don’t worry” I went back to my laptop.

“Are you a writer?” she asked, peering over my laptop. “Hey! you should do that!” I said. “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just curious.” I nodded again. “It’s okay. Yes I am” “What are you writing?” “Look I don’t mean to be rude, but there are a lot of empty chairs around. I think I’ve established that I’m not a very good conversationalist.” She looked hurt. “Fine! but I can’t. The barista said someone booked out the café for some party. She said to sit with you.” “What? Let me talk to her”

“What? She is cute, and I know ever since the incident, which you insist on calling it, you have started drinking too much coffee. And that’s coming from me!” Bella hissed, when I asked her about her. “Look Bella, you are as old as my mother!” “Fifteen years elder than you, so watch your mouth, young man, if you want your sandwich!” “Fine. Sorry. But come on!” I protested. “Do you remember last week?” she whispered back, trying to look busy, cleaning the counter. “You accidentally spilled coffee on someone, and in that nervousness,you accidentally said ‘Hope you have a good death?’ ” “Yeah so what’s it got to do with HER?” I said, jerking my thumb at her. “Look, you’ve been here for so long, and trust me when I say you are getting worse. Some human interaction is needed for you young man! Talk to her!” “Fine! I’ll sit with her, Mom!” I hissed back. “Okay that’s it, say goodbye to your complimentary sandwiches” I sulked back to my table.

She was typing on her phone when I got back. “So, yeah, okay fine you can sit.” I said, sitting down. She didn’t look from her phone. “Umm hmm” I looked over to the counter. Bella made a finger gun and mimicked shooting me. “So, umm hey” I tried talking to her. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.” She still didn’t look. “You made your point pretty clear. You didn’t want me to be here. But now I’m stuck because the Café has this stupid get together.” I looked at Bella helplessly. She looked back sternly. Fine, I’ll try. “I’m sorry” I shut my laptop. “Yes I’m writing. It’s a novel about a man who falls in love with a ghost” That got the reaction I had hoped for. “Really? How’s that gonna work?” I leaned forward a bit.

“Well the man encounters the spirit one night. But she says she is the conscious of a coma patient, but doesn’t remember who. So he finds her body, and makes her join her body again.” She looked interested, “That’s it? It’s pretty straightforward.” I smiled. “Do you have any suggestions?” She closed her mouth, silently thinking. “So I’m guessing they bond over him searching her body?” I nodded. “Well after she gains conscious, you can make his memories disappear, and then in epilogue, make them randomly meet?” she looked at me expectantly. I was shocked. It was actually a good ending. I told her that. Her eyes lit up. “Really? That’s so awesome! When are you publishing?” “Sometime later.” “Well I hope you mention me in the acknowledgements.” She looked expectantly. “Yeah sure, I’ll dedicate it to the girl I met at the coffee shop” we laughed.

“Do you wanna take a walk?” I asked her. “I mean there are people who’s gonna show up and ruin this place ” I trailed off. She looked at me intensely. “You know what?” she paused “I will. I’ve been told by my therapist to meet new people” She said, getting up. I packed my laptop in and glanced at Bella. She was smiling, and gave me two thumbs up. “So where do you propose we go?” She turned to me after we got out. She was shorter than me by an head. Outside, she looked more tiny. “Do you have any ideas?” She stopped skipping. “Well there is the Wellesley Cemetery. Unless you’re too scared?” Sure, the girl Bella set me up wanted to hang out in a cemetery. Great, I might as well see it through.

“See isn’t it nice? I thought you might have ideas about your ghost from here?” She looked back at me. I gotta admit, the place wasn’t that bad. I mean apart from the graves and tombstones, it was almost like a park. “See I think the dead would like that someone came to their final resting spot and enjoyed it. I know I will.” She smiled, sitting on this bench under a tree. She patted the spot next to her. “Don’t worry, I’m not a vampire. “Well vampires are pretty much in flight mode except 12 to 4 am. So no, you aren’t a vampire.” “So, tell me about you” she turned to me. I laughed nervously. “Well, I’m Ron. As you saw, I’m a writer. Well a columnist for a newspaper.” “Jeez, anyone even buys that?” “Yeah, I mean it’s national. Plus they have a magazine which I contribute too. It’s a hard life. But all I wanted was my novel.” “And now you’re getting one right?” “Well that depends. If all goes well, then yes.”

“But enough of me, tell me about you. What do you do?” She stayed silent. “Don’t tell me you’re a spy?” I joked. “Actually I am. I was assigned to get to know you and assassinate you” “Yeah right, good one. No seriously?” “Well, it’s complicated, I guess. I have an undergraduate degree in architecture. I was gonna get my masters but, well something happened. No, don’t ask, it’s personal.” “Okay, I won’t pry, Miss-?” “Oh I didn’t tell you my name? It’s Phyllis.” I nodded. “Greek for leaf. That’s unique. I mean, I could almost fall in love with that name.” She raised her eyebrows. “Oh do you now?” I laughed. “Don’t worry, I said might. I meant I like the name. I’m just Ron. Boring old Ronald” She nodded, but didn’t say anything, just looked at me, a half smile at her face. “Remember Ron? From Harry Potter?” “Ofcourse. Weasly is our king. How can I forget?” “Well he was my favorite.” “Not Hermionie? Or Harry?” I asked suprised. “No, seriously, hear me out. He was just a normal kid. Like you and me. He wasn’t smart as Ermie, or special as Harry. He was like you, or me.” “Ordinary. Thanks. That’s the best compliment I got.” She laughed. I continued. “So you’re saying I should hope for is to meet a famous person, befriend them, and eventually get famous by association.” “No silly. It’s more like, I don’t know, look out for any opportunity for greatness-” “Carpe diem” I finished. “Yeah, carpe diem. Exactly!” She smiled. “I hope you finish your novel, and also-” She smiled, and for a moment, held my gaze. Just then, her phone vibrated. She jumped in suprise. “What?” “Nothing.” she grabbed her phone. “I guess I better leave now.” “Wait. Was it something I said? I sounded almost whiny. “I have somewhere to be. It was nice meeting you Ron.”

“Two espressos!” I found myself in front of Bella again next morning. “Say the magic words!” She paused. There was a short queue behind me. “Bella look, I just need my espressos, you know it! Please?” “How did it go with that girl yesterday?” “Don’t wanna talk about it Bella. Just give me my order!” She took a notepad and made a show of taking notes. “Don’t tell me you managed to scare her off?” She mumbled silently. I had to see it through I guess. “I guess we were hitting it off, but then she had to go” “Oh poor darling, I’m sorry. She seemed nice.” ” I agree. But I’m not. Just let me work.” I sighed.

I didn’t make much progress that day. The ghost was in love with the protagonist okay, but how was it born? What are the ramifications of the ghost being present? “Damnit!” I banged the wall next to me with my fist. “What’s wrong?” I looked up to see Phyllis standing with her laptop and her coffee. “Hi” she smiled. “Is that seat taken?”