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Connections

   Mateo dried off a glass cup when he spotted a man enter Sandie's Coffee Place. "Be with you in just a sec, sir."

   He goes to put the cup up back on the shelf as the man sits down.

   He can feel the eyes of the man watching him as he made his way to the front.

   It was always slow at sunrise during the weekdays and he had plenty of times it was only him and a single customer. Sometimes they over stay their welcome during days like this  where he had to close early for the Solstice. He expected it to be the same. "How can I help you this morning?"

   "This might be a weird thing to say, but I was drawn here...-" the man started.

   'Here we go...' thought the barista, rolling his eyes.

   "-can I read you?"

   That was new. He was skeptical and it was almost closing time, but he decides to amuse the stranger for bit. "Sure. I tell you what. If your reading is accurate... I'll give you a free drink".

   "You got yourself a deal.". The man smiled.

   They both shook hands.

   That's when Mateo locks onto the stranger.

   The man didn't dress the part for someone who read people. He wore a gray sweater along with a matching knitted scarf that the end of his ginger hair barely touched.

   "Immediately, from that handshake I can tell that we both have things in common. We're both family orientated people. Were you from a big family?"

   "Yeah, my family isn't from here, originally. They moved to the states just a few months after I was born."

   The man leaned forward, pulling him in with something that his grandmother warned him about. He froze never taking his eyes off of the customer. He watches him taking out a pack of  cards in from his pocket.

   He shuffles them and stops. He places three cards on the counter.

   "We have another thing in common..."

   Mateo couldn't speak. Even though he didn't understand the meanings of the three cards, fear... or something had taken a hold of him.

   He flips the first card over. "We should work on saying no more often, we both have been taken advantage of from the wrong things. Thus causing us to be socially anxious."

   It was true. Nothing too scandalous, just been severely betrayed by ex-close friends.

   The stranger flips over the second card. "But there is hope for you and I... we will someday overcome that problem--"

   He picks up the final card and flips it. "--and it will end happily for the both of us..."

   For the first time the stranger looks up. "So, how did I do...?"

   Mateo takes out a pen and a notepad. "What can I get you?" he asked.

   "It's too early for a full drink." stated the stranger.

   "Sir, this is a coffee shop.

   "Ah, a black coffee with four shots of espresso."

   He writes down his order and goes to prepare his drink.

   He brings out his drink and the man pays for it in exact change.

   The man leaves with his drink.

   A happy customer, leaving a contemplating barista.