Stories from Warm Coffee Cafe & Books
Welcome to my imaginary café, where the coffee is warm, the shelves are filled imaginative adventure, and every visitor has a story of their own.
Join me for cozy episodes filled with books, conversation, quiet moments, and a little mischief. Come on and pull up a chair.
Episode One: The Doors Are Open
By Tamikio L. Dooley
I turned the OPEN sign, then stood there with my hand still resting against the glass.
For years which turned into weeks, I had imagined the moment. Then the lamps were glowing, the coffee was brewing, and a tray of muffins waited beneath the glass dome. I straightened my apron and looked around Warm Coffee Cafe & Books.
I noticed one chair out of place. I pushed it closer to the window.
“There,” I said to the chair like it had a soul. "Now we’re ready.”
The bell above the door rang.
My first customer stepped inside, followed by a little October chill. He paused near the entrance and looked from the bookshelves to the pastry counter.
“Am I too early?”
“You’re right on time.”
“Good. I saw the books through the window, but I smelled the coffee even stronger halfway down the sidewalk.”
“Then the coffee is doing its job.”
He laughed and approached the counter.
“What do you recommend?”
“That depends. Are you hungry, sleepy, or avoiding something?”
“All three.”
“Coffee and a muffin, then. We’ll discuss the rest after your first sip.”
He chose a blueberry muffin and carried his cup to the window table. Before sitting down, he stopped at a shelf and tilted his head to read the titles.
I watched him pull out a book, turn it over, and settle into the chair I had just moved.
The chair had been waiting for.
Soon, the bell rang again.
A man with a folded newspaper ordered black coffee.
Another wandered straight to the shelves, insisting he was only looking.
Ten minutes later, he brought two books to the counter.
“I thought you were only looking,” I said.
“I was. These interfered.”
“I’ll have a word with them.”
Between orders, I found a moment to pour myself a cup of coffee. I wrapped both hands around the mug and listened.
A spoon tapped against a saucer. Someone turned a page. At the window table, my first customer brushed muffin crumbs from his newspaper napkin and went back to his book.
I wondered whether I should've put on more music, say something to everyone, or make an announcement about the opening. Instead, I took a sip of my coffee and decided it wasn't important for me say anything about the opening. The customers could clearly see my establishment was open business.
The room was getting along beautifully without interruptions.
Then the man at the window raised his hand.
“Is it too soon for another muffin?”
“Absolutely not.”
He closed his book around one finger to keep his place.
“And another coffee?”
“Now you’re getting comfortable.”
Your Turn at the Café
You’ve just stepped through the door. What would you order, and which book would you bring to your table?