The Cafe And Its Customers

I've been working at the cafe here at the Y.M.C.A. for seven and a half months and in that time, a lot of people have come through the door looking for a good meal. Some of them are staff members, some are members, and some are residents. We also get a lot of the residents from the Y.W.C.A. up the block and the two senior housing facilities that are close by.

Sad to say, some of these people have gotten themselves banned by the cafe for various reasons. It takes a lot for Mike to make that call on someone, but once it's done, there's no going back.

I really don't want to get into that any farther. What I do want to do is talk about a few of the customers who have been memorable for good reasons.

Like the mother and daughter who wanted to get lunch but the mother wasn't sure if she her SNAP benefits had been made available. They hadn't, but her little girl had already started to drink the grape juice I had given her. She looked to be about three years old or so, and when Mike and I said she could have the juice anyway, she said "thank you" to me in such a quiet and sweet voice, I just wanted to cry.

Like the single mom who comes in at least two or three times a week. Almost always with her little girl who turned two years old last month, and sometimes also with her son, who turned ten years old last month, as well. I have never seen this person in anything but a very good mood. Her son is very polite and well behaved and as far as I can tell, is a normal, well adjusted kid.

One day, this young lady ordered a large iced coffee and then realized she had forgotten to bring her purse with her. I turned to Mike and said "I'll kick in a dollar for it if you will" and Mike agreed to do that. I brought her the coffee just as she was getting ready to leave and she was so happy. It was a reminder that sometimes, the smallest gesture of kindness can mean a lot and also, that the simplest pleasures are often also the sweetest (no pun intended).

Like the older gentleman who came in one day and said he had known about the cafe for years but never been in it before. This was on one of the days that Mike was out sick and I was filling in for him all day. This person was very quiet while I made his food for him. He, to be honest, looked like he was having a very bad day.

Which he was, as it turned out. He and I were the only two people in the front area; Lauren was in the back room doing dishes. After a few minutes of racking my brain to remember where I knew this person from, it came to me.

He was a neighbor of my late Aunt Mary, and still lives in the same apartment he did all those years ago before she passed away. As he ate his food, I asked him if there was anything else I could get for him. He said that there wasn't but thanked me for asking. We wound up having a very pleasant and interesting conversation. He now comes in almost every day, and some days, twice, for breakfast and lunch. He's very considerate, in that if I'm really busy, he'll not disturb me unless he has to. But if I can spare even just a minute or two to talk to him, he really appreciates it.

So, those are a few of the people I've dealt with in the time I've been working at the cafe.

Wishing you a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving, dear reader.

Also, rest in peace, Roy Clark. Singer, songwriter, actor and all around good guy.

I'm Back

As of today, I plan on resuming regular posting. I've not posted much of anything in a long time for several reasons. I've been busy with work. I've been doing a lot of reading. But I'm back, really.

Where to begin? If you don't care for politically related posts, this might be where you want to stop reading. Because so much is going on I simply can't remain silent any longer. We have a President who is becoming a dictator. The sheer amount of nonsense coming out of the White House is almost impossible to fully keep track of.

The Press Secretary has pretty much gotten away with releasing a doctored video to justify the taking away of a journalist's press credentials. The President, among other things, believes he can revoke the 14th Amendment to the Constitution with an executive order. He's also tried to interfere in elections and counting of votes. He once again has shared his crazy beliefs about voter fraud.

In other words, we're seeing things that are so far beyond normal, it's terrifying. We're seeing things that no presidential administration has ever dared attempt, much less believe it can get away with doing.

And don't even get me started on the most recent mass shootings.

Wow, this was not a fun post, was it? I do have two more much enjoyable posts currently in draft status and will be posting those in the next two or three days.

Until then, farewell.

P.S. Rest in peace, Stan Lee. You will be missed.