She took another sip of coffee. A small one. To make it last.
A dreary morning meant the outdoor cafe wasn’t busy. Still, the waiter would surely clear her table as soon as her cup ran dry. He’d already deposited the check to flutter underneath the saucer. Hastening her to remove the eyesore of tattered bags and unkempt hair from the establishment.
Her chest tightened and her hand trembled. She forced in a deep breath.
She used to own the place. In better days.
She could still see it, riding through her mind’s eye. Her colorfully beloved Flower Power Cafe.
For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers
Photo prompt: © Brenda Cox
Na'ama Yehuda 
Riches to rags. A plaintive story
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Yes … and so many times we do not know the stories of the more destitute persons we see … and yet I often wish I did know.
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So sad. So many people losing their small business these days.
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True! And … we almost never know the stories of people we see …
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That ain’t right. There should be more respect for the downtrodden – especially when they used to own the joint! Beautifully written, my friend.
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Indeed! And, it may be that the waiter does not know she used to own the place. But still, his treatment of her is disrespectful. We none of us know the stories of everyone we meet, and we can all of us do better not assuming as much as I’m sure we’re all guilty of sometimes doing …
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True. And still. There is some training that is missing, methinks. The lack of respect is unfortunately all over the place. There seems to be a huge lack of empathy.
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So very true!!! xx
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really hard to judge people by their looks or what they do.
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Exactly! Thank you for this comment!
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How very poignant. Thinking back to a young woman all bright and breezy filled with an optimism that the 1960s would bring a better age.
Life can be hard.
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Yes, life can be hard, and sometimes looking back one sees what one wishes to remember, and not the steps one might’ve done differently, or the less-than-good times even in the so-called good-old-times. And yet, yes, there are those who’d fallen on such hard times that there’s more loss than life … Sad.
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Very true.
Your portrayal of this lady underscores those small tragedies that never make the news but are great tragedies in themselves through the loss of hope and joy.
One of your very best. (and that’s saying something)
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Thank you! Wow! I’m humbled. 🙂 And … yes, am so very gratified this exactly was communicated.
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Keep on keeping on 😃💐🌺🌻🌼
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😀
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When I see the homeless and destitute, I often wonder what their story is because it is most certainly not what it appears to be or what you might think. You captured this so well, Na’ama, with your gentle compassionate way of writing.
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Thank you, Brenda! We are first and foremost humans, aren’t we? Complicated, messy, unaware, overly self-conscious, imperfect, full-of-feelings humans … Thank you for this comment!
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Na’ama Y’karah,
Everyone has a story, don’t they? Flower Power Cafe? That hits me where I (used to) live. 😉 Touching story. So much in 100 words. Tov m’ohd!
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Toda Raba, my friend! Yea, we all have a story, and mostly the world does not know it, or knows only very small pieces of it. Here’s to flower power … whether in cafes or in nature or in our hearts. 🙂
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A sorry story indeed. Last week I visited the pub I owned 20 years ago. Fortunately, my situation is the reverse of your subject, but I almost wept at the way my once bustling establishment had gone downhill.
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Oh, how sad! Not all reminiscing is full of sweet nostalgia. Sometimes the mix is bitter sweet. Sometimes more bitter than sweet. …
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I don’t think I’d want to go back.
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😀 I’m sure sure she would want to go back to all of it, either, but it seems that the spot she’s in now is a painful one that she wishes to be eased (and perhaps can be, with a some compassion from another).
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How incredibly sad. It happens, often through no fault of the owner. Hard times.
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Indeed! And, yes, often through no fault – or nothing a person can know to foresee – with consequences that are hard to reverse and are all too often judged by others.
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A sad, but often real story. But if I should not judge, then I shall not judge the waiter either.
A local eatery with a jerk owner closed because the abused staff all walked out. Some days you’re the windshield, some days you’re the bug. 🙂 Good story, Na’ama.
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Good point! The waiter may have his own issues to resolve, and his own orders to follow, and he may well not know who she is. We are all of us a complex mess, aren’t we? 😉
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We are: mea culpa. When I confessed to my son about judging others, he said, “You know Dad, if someone sends you a message, it’s not your fault if you receive it.” I decided to use discernment rather than judgment. 🙂
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Excellent teaching, that!
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Quite a sad tale. At least he lets her buy food and drink. Nice story,.
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That’s true. And we don’t know what pressures are placed on the waiters by owners who may or may not know who she is and who may or may not be mindful of others’ suffering and who may or may not be playing their own power games …
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Waiters and waitresses always have the worst job dont they. They get yelled at by customers and chefs and boss all day.
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That is all too often true, alas. I have friends who work in the industry, and the stories they tell are often of exactly that. It is why whenever I am at a restaurant, I do my utmost to be kind, patient, and understanding toward the staff (generous with tips isn’t a bad idea, either). Because they are not there to be yelled, certainly NOT by me.
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I agree, Na’ama.
I have been a waiter and a chef. As a chef I always made sure my servers were okay.
My special sleuth Holly is a waitress in honour of them too.
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🙂
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Beautifully poignant Na’ama. Thank you.
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Thank you, Susan! Here’s to humanity and the complex beings we are.
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A poignant story, Na’ama. You pace it beautifully, introducing us gradually to the lady and only revealing who she is and the significance of the location right at the end. Nicely done.
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Thank you, Penny! 100 words are an interesting constraint, aren’t they? Given how wordy I tend to be, I see these writing challenges as a constant training in getting to the point … 😉
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Simple, sad and heart wrenching.
In my mind’s eye I can see this as a homeless person, with all her belongings, dragging out that coffee. And understand too why the waiter may seem dismissive. Sadly, he wants to hurry off the riff-raff. Positively, he is trying to keep busy on a quiet day.
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Thank you, Trish. A very good expansion on the story, and it’s layers of possibility. We’re none of us simple, are we?
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I hope she comes upon better times for herself soon.
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Yes, I hope so very much, too! Sometimes all it takes is one small thing that starts a better trajectory …
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That is subtly real, can really feel it
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Thank you, Crispina! I’m glad it felt real!
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Indeed did
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🙂
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A poignant tale. Nicely done.
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Thank you, Sandra! The story of too many, I fear.
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