Short Stories from Wing's Authors.

Lotta Latte

by

Tricia Lee

“What a day!” exclaimed Myra to Tawny, her young cashier. “Do you think you can make it to your apartment in this blizzard without problems?”

“Oh, yes, ma’am,” said Tawny. “It’s just a half block away from here. I’ve got good snow boots.”

Myra cringed at the use of ma’am. Was she really old enough to be called that? Well, she shouldn’t blame Tawny, who was only nineteen. When she was that age, she probably thought that forty-five year old women were old also.

“When you get to your apartment, call me so I’ll know you got there safely.”

Tawny smiled and said, “Yes, ma’am. Will do.”

Myra watched her young employee get ready to leave and then waved good-bye to her as she left the coffee shop.

Now if I can get closed up without anyone else walking in. But before she started her nightly ritual she sat down at one her tables to rest for a few minutes. In spite of the weather or perhaps because of it, they had been busy all day. Nothing like a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate on a day like this, she mused, grateful for the business but wished it hadn’t tired her out so much.

She loved her little shop but there was something missing from her life. Of course, she knew what it was. Companionship -- a man. Somehow working hard all her life had prevented serious romantic involvements. Why had that happened to her? She had plenty of friends who had worked just as hard but somehow had found happiness through marriage.

Just before tears began to stream down her face, she got up, intending to lock the front door. Suddenly the door opened and a short, gray-haired man with a moustache and neatly trimmed beard walked in.

Before she could say she was closed, he said, “Whew! Thank goodness this place is open. I’m in a bind.”

“Wha...what do you mean, sir?”

“I had a…uh… business appointment with a…uh…gentleman in a nearby apartment building but we got our dates mixed up and he is out of town. My taxi left me stranded in front of his building. Do you have a phone?”

“Well yes, of course. Don’t you have a cell phone?”

“Not with me. I packed in a hurry and absentmindedly left it at home. I can’t get used to the darn thing.”

Just as she was about to hand her phone to him, it rang. She answered and heard Tawny on the other end telling her that she had made it home safely but it looked like the city was going to be shut down for the night. The blizzard had made the streets impassable.

 Myra thanked Tawny for the information and said good night. She turned to the gentleman and said, “It looks like it may be difficult for you to find a cab tonight. That was my cashier Tawny calling me to tell me she had arrived at her apartment safely but that it was all over the news that nothing was running tonight.”

The man looked stricken. “But what am I going to do? Where do you live?”

All of a sudden, panic and fear struck Myra. He didn’t look dangerous but she knew that appearances could be deceiving.

 “Really, sir, I don’t think that you could possibly think you could stay with me.”

“No, no, I just wondered how you were going to get home; if you had a car of your own or if you took a cab or a bus or however.”

She paused for a few moments before replying. Finally she said, “I live here behind my shop.”

“Oh,” he said, sounding very dejected. He slipped into a chair and put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the table.

He looked harmless but although he was short, he was still taller than she was. She doubted she could defend herself if he attacked her.

“Have you been to Verdura before?” she asked, determined to keep the conversation on an even keel.

He looked up and replied, “This is my first trip to Colorado. Period. I’ve always wanted to come here but not in the middle of January.”

“Where are you from and why did you come at this time of year?” She desperately needed to know something about him.

He sighed and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He opened it and showed her a badge.

“You’re a policeman?” she gasped in surprise, but relieved at the same time.

“A private investigator from Key West, Florida. I was sent here on a tip from the… uh…gentleman I wanted to see tonight.”

“It must be very serious.”

He gave her a wry smile. “Yes, it is, of course. It has to do with a runaway groom. It seems he has a habit of marrying rich middle-aged women and then disappearing as soon as he cleans out their bank accounts.”

“That’s horrible!”

Before she could say anything else, he asked for a cup of coffee. “I hope you still have some. I really need it right now.”

“Oh, yes, of course. I’m so sorry I didn’t ask when you came in.”

At that moment, the door opened again and a very handsome man walked in. Myra almost laughed out loud. In all her years of running the Lotta Latte Coffee Shop, she had never ended her day like this.

The first gentleman jumped up and said, “Aha, I’ve got you! I knew you were around here someplace.”

The second one pulled a gun and said, “Don’t be ridiculous! You aren’t going to fool this lovely lady. You are under arrest!” He approached him with the gun in one hand and handcuffs in the other.

The first man turned to Myra, “You’ve got to help me. He’s not a policeman. Throw hot coffee on him. I doubt that he will shoot you and then I’ll be able to disarm him.”

Myra was frozen to the spot. She believed the handsome man and not this Santa Claus look alike. She picked up the pot of coffee and poured it on the first man.

The second one burst out laughing and said, “Thank you!”

But before he could cuff the older gentleman, three policemen in uniform rushed into the shop.

“Hold it, scum! You aren’t getting away this time.”

To Myra’s astonishment, they cuffed the second man and dragged him away. She turned to the first man who had stayed behind and apologized profusely. “Oh, I am so sorry. I don’t know why I didn’t believe you. After all, you did show me your badge. I hope I haven’t hurt your feelings or scalded you.”

Wiping away the last of the coffee she had poured on him, he sighed and said, “I accept your apology but only if you will now sit down with me and tell me about yourself and have a cup of coffee with me.”

“Why…why do you want to know something about me after the way I behaved? I’m terribly embarrassed.”

He gave her a smile, a smile that she realized made him look exceptionally attractive. Despite his gray hair and beard, he did look younger than she had originally supposed.

She made more coffee and they sat and talked for most of the night.

As dawn approached, he said, “Now I’m beginning to realize why you call your shop Lotta Latte. We have consumed a lotta coffee tonight.”

“Well,” she said, “that wasn’t the reason I named it that. I was just trying to come up with something cute.”

“You’re the one who’s cute,” he said.

Despite working hard all day yesterday and talking all night, she felt more refreshed and alive than she had in a long time.