6.29.2007

Book of Today



Chapter 1. Coffee

There's a little European-style cafe about a block away from my office, and I sometimes eat there when I don't bring my lunch to work. It's very charming, with racks of homemade bread and cookies and marzipan, plus all kinds of imported butter and cheese and candy.

I went in to pick up some lunch today, and while scanning the menu, I noticed that they serve cafe au lait. Well, I'm not a coffee drinker by any means, but I do like cafe au lait bowls, and it all seemed very in the spirit of the moment, so I asked the woman behind the counter for one. The following exchange ensued:

Her: Okay, what kind of coffee do you want in it?

Me: See, I actually don't drink coffee, so I'm not sure.

Her: Oh. Do you know that cafe au lait is coffee with steamed milk?

Me: Yeah. Well, it sounded good and I'm a little tired today, so I thought I'd try it.

Her: Okay. So you want something with lots of caffeine?

Me: Um, actually, that sounds kind of dangerous. I can't really handle caffeine. Maybe I just want the taste of coffee?

Her: Hmm.

Me: Maybe I'd better just go with decaf.

Her: Okay, decaf. Now, what kind of milk do you want in it?

Me: Uh...

Her: We have whole, soy, and skim. And half-and-half.

Me: Um...s-skim, I guess. Thanks.

And then, mercifully, she went and made it up and I didn't have to answer any more questions. She was remarkably nice and helpful, all in all, which just makes me like the place all the more. Good business, that.

Anyway, I liked the cafe au lait pretty well, after I'd dumped about a tablespoon of sugar in. Which maybe isn't the traditional way to drink it, but neither is sipping it from a cardboard cup, I'll wager. (Sadly, no cafe au lait bowls here.)

Chapter 2. Bus

I rode the bus home from work this evening, and when we were just feet from my stop, another bus passing ours screeched to a halt and the two drivers starting talking. It didn't seem to be an emergency; I couldn't ascertain the exact nature of their conversation, but it sounded very jovial, like they were a couple of old friends surprised and delighted to run into each other on the street. The funny part was looking over at the passengers on the other bus, and seeing them look back at me, all of us unwitting participants in this little traffic drama. It made me think of kids, sitting in the back of a minivan while their parents chat amiably with the neighbors, oblivious to the traffic piling up behind. We just sat there, mutely, calmly, watching, waiting, until the conversation was over and the bus moved on.

It made me feel good about the bus drivers, actually, to see them being human and enjoying themselves. Sometimes I wonder if they like the job, or if it's just really repetitive. If I had my choice and could pilot any kind of public transportation I wanted, I think I'd pick the commuter rail. That way I could be outside (more or less), see the countryside, observe the changing seasons. And you probably wouldn't be alone--I imagine there are a couple of people sitting up front together. Bus drivers, by contrast, spend a lot of time in the city proper, and have to deal with cars and traffic lights and not knowing where they'll need to stop. And subway conductors spend most of the day underground, which sounds dark and claustrophobic.

Maybe that's not what it's really like; maybe I just have an overly romantic view of trains. But then, who doesn't?