The Coffee Shop

Looking out the window into a parking lot of dull colored cars made him turn back to his magazine. There was something relaxing about this place, something he enjoyed, and it wasn't just the coffee.

Tav had been cooped up in the house for so long with nothing to do, it must have been the change of scenery that relaxed him. It could have been the abundance of space that he was enjoying since his small rental was crammed full of the furniture he had. Even with chores looming at home, he knew he did not want to leave the coffee shop. He was in a wonderful solitude. He was, for the first time since he moved to Pittsburgh, at peace.

He always thought himself a creative person - someone who did not just think outside the box, but kicked the box to the curb and built a whole new container. The past few years had been a bit rough and he felt as if he lost his muse. His creativity was bust and he had to find it again. Here, in the bright and quiet coffee shop he was waking up again.

He could hear the old wood flooring creek as patrons walked by. He looked up to see people shuffling about, pulling out laptops, putting them away, going to the self serve coffee dispensers. He heard the clank as the old man stirred the cream into his coffee mug with the long narrow spoon. He looked up just in time to see him place the spoon into the "dirty" container with what sounded like a thunderous clink.

What had brought Tav to this place. Was it his laziness since this was close to the house? Was it his lack of knowledge of other coffee houses to go to in this new city? Was it divine inspiration sending him there knowing it would wake up his senses? Whatever it was his creative thoughts were flowing. Thank god for his Blackberry where he could store all his thoughts as they hit him.

He looked back to his magazine. The silence was rarely broken except for the occasional creek in the floor boards and clink from the cups. He began day dreaming of what he would do with his dreamt up lottery winnings. He lost his place so many times in the article he was reading he was tempted to just shut it. "I would look pretty weird just sitting here dazed staring into dreamworld," he thought to himself as he turned the page to show others he was really reading it.

"Creativity is so much more exciting when you have the money to do something with it," he said when the next idea flew into his mind. "How will I even go about this concept? How will I find financing? I need engineers and a metallurgist to tell me if this is even possible." These thoughts filled Tav's mind as he typed his next best idea into his phone.

He looked at his watch to realize 3 hours had passed and it was time to get home to make dinner. Once he began thinking of food his stomach groweled to confim his hunger. He closed his barely read magazine, took his mostly empty cup to the counter and walked out into the real world - creative thoughts ending at the door along with his ambition to do something with them.