Behind me, a toddler is eating a chocolate chip cookie approximately the size of her face. She is doing this because she is currently alone with her father or perhaps her uncle. As I write this, it is 10:12AM, which is a marginally important element of the story.
My favorite seat has been in high demand due to the recent warm weather. Because it is currently 45F, there is zero competition for the seat beside the door – the door that opens to the outside approximately once per minute. Of course, I’m sitting in it.
I’m a little less than 20,000 words from finishing my latest novel. Friends tell me that I’m always 20,000 words from finishing. Yeah, that was two novels ago. Please. Like writers can stop when they finish a book. It’s 18 months to two years from “The End” to published and available in stores (aka, making money). If we stopped writing after finishing a book, we’d all starve (except maybe Emily Henry, whose movie deals on ALL her novels have certainly made it possible for her to never write again, should she choose).
It’s still too chilly for pedestrian traffic which means I’m going to have to work on the novel for a bit instead of procrastinating by people watching. Except for the two girls who just walked by wearing those little plastic hands on their fingers, talking animatedly while their finger-hands wave in the air. That’s exactly what I’m here for, exactly why I’m shivering beside the door.
I think someone (the dad behind me?) might be starting to figure out why it’s not a good idea to give your toddler a cookie the size of their face. She’s super cute but she’s got a lot of sugar zipping around inside that little body now. Honestly, I’m rather enjoying Dad’s irritation. (He’s on his phone.) Doesn’t he carry two crayons and some paper everywhere he goes? I STILL have crayons in some of my bags. Okay, okay. They’re for me, to entertain me when I’m bored but they used to be for the kids. I swear.
They’re leaving now. She stared at me as she walked out the door. I’d like to think she did so because I smiled but I think it was because my hair is blue. It’s quite a feat that she made it out the door since she isn’t looking where she’s going (in the way little kids have) AND her hands are full.
Dad gave that little charmer a FULL cup of water with no lid. She’s walking down the sidewalk, carrying her cookie bag in one hand and her full, lidless cup of water in the other hand. Any bets on how long it will take her to spill it? Any bets on where it goes: on Dad, on her, on the sidewalk, some of the above, all of the above? Sadly, we’ll never know because I’d have to follow them out of the coffee shop.
I was in an ultrasound room last week (not as the patient!), watching the procedure. I asked the technician what the ultrasound of Kane’s (John Hurt’s character in Alien) stomach would have shown. She thought that was a weird question (I mean, sure). No one has ever asked her that before but to be fair, she’s finishing her training so how many ultrasounds has she even done? Also, she was like 10 so maybe she hasn’t seen Alien.
River just arrived and confirmed that the ONLY reason for life is DOGS. He’s an older goldie and so, so sweet. In addition to people watching, I get immediate access to all dogs by sitting at the entrance. I am a dog whisperer, at least in my own mind. Max, one of the neighborhood dogs, would beg to differ. He runs to me for a treat but absolutely forbids pets. I get it. I wouldn’t want strangers touching me either.
Time for a story about one of the many ways people suffer for fashion: next to me, a young woman has just taken a seat at a table. She’s wearing a very cute square-necked dress in a pretty pale pink and beige flower pattern. The dress is short, very short. As she sits, I hear a gasp because her dress is too short to cover the seat. And yes, the seat is COLD. Who has not experienced that shock of suddenly freezing or burning your butt off? This and the lack of pockets are the two things I regret most about my earlier fashion choices.
One of the big sidewalk benches is placed directly opposite me. You know how, sometimes you look at the same view for days and weeks and then suddenly something changes but you don’t notice the change immediately? I don’t know when the bench moved but I sure hope it was last night.
Anyway, there’s a couple in bright jackets sitting on the seat. She’s in red. He’s in orange. And they have a bakery bag, which they’re currently sifting through. AHHH. Cookies. They each take a big chocolate chip cookie – just like that toddler. Not going to lie. Those chocolate chip cookies are damn good. I buy them every week for my not-my-Aunt G.
The couple is sitting in the sun, knees touching, while they munch away on those cookies. I think I’ve changed my mind about whether one should eat cookies in the morning. Suddenly the success of Cookie Crisp cereal is less confusing to me.
Much love.
