Day 39: Coffee or tea?

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 39: Coffee or tea?

Some people can’t function in the morning before they’ve had their first cup of coffee or tea. They are irritable, grouchy and altogether not properly awake. While some shower and get themselves ready when getting out of bed, other head straight for the kitchen.

While I appreciate a good cup of coffee too, I’m not as bad as some. I can wait until I’m at work. I usually first switch my computer on, see if there’s anything urgent, and then make my way to the nearest coffee shop.

However, last week there was a snag in my usual routine. When I arrived at my favorite coffee shop, I was told that they were all out of decaf coffee. Oh no, now that was bad news. While I’m perfectly capable of going without coffee for a short period of time, having no coffee all day is nothing short of a disaster.

There was only one thing for it … look for another coffee shop. I got directed to one further down the street. So, I walked, and I walked, and I walked some more. I finally arrived at the said coffee shop, and while it is part of a large chain in Canada, the shop itself was relatively small and packed with customers.

I queued for no less than 20 minutes and hoped that they too wouldn’t be out of decaf or this whole ordeal would have been for nothing. Fortunately, they had plenty of decaf coffee to which I added a warm, crispy croissant.

By the time I got back to the office, the croissant was cold and my decaf coffee had noticeably cooled, but okay, it was better than nothing.

The following day it was cold and rainy and I didn’t feel like walking all the way to the far-away coffee shop, but I knew there was a new place up the street.

The coffee shop was unlike any other. Instead of being furnished with small tables, comfortable chairs and couches, this shop had four long wooden tables, surrounded by matching chairs. A young crowd was sitting side by side, working on their laptops or holding a tablet.

A glance at the sandwiches and pastries display cabinet told me this place wasn’t cheap. There was something about the foot-long sandwiches, holding ham, cheese or chicken in combination with lettuce and tomato that screamed, expensive! The fact that none of the goods held a price tag was also a dead giveaway that this place was for people with deep pockets. Just how deep I would have to reach into my pocket I was about to find out.

When I asked for a small decaf coffee and a croissant, the total came to $6,25.

“How much?” I asked because I thought I misheard.

“$6,25,” the girl repeated. “Would you like the receipt?”

“Yes,” I said. 

Usually, I’m not interested in a receipt, but this time I wanted to see how much the coffee and how the croissant cost. As it turned out the coffee was $3,75 and the croissant was $2.50. Good Lord, $3,75 for a small coffee! At my usual place, I get an extra-large coffee for that price. And $2,50 for a croissant, where did this croissant come from … France?

Needless to say, this coffee shop was for emergencies only.

It's really is beyond me why companies don’t stock more of decaf coffee or some avoid it altogether. At my workplace, they have no less than 10 different coffees, 12 different teas, hot chocolate and an espresso machine but no decaf coffee. Yet when decaf is available, it’s the first type of coffee that is depleted.

As for tea … I enjoy a cup of tea almost as much as a cup of coffee, but because I can only drink decaf tea, my choice is limited. I have to stick to fruity teas or if I can find it Earl Grey Decaf. So, all in all, is there a certain decaf discrimination?

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