The Extraordinary Café

Co-written by @theironfelix & me!

The warm smell of fresh brownies drifted across the cafe, ducking under the tables, squeezing through chairs, urged on by the fans; it flew. A gooey batch, chocolate chips still soft, had appeared on the counter. So loudly rang the placing of the tray, that Matt’s eyes glanced over, his mouth already watering, and so the enticing aroma managed to make him half consider ordering two.

Over Matt’s head, a clock's hand ticked a steady background beat, drawing his attention. For all wandering eyes, it was ten to two; she was twenty minutes late. A huff of impatience escaped his cracked lips, his mind drifting back to the crowded room.

An elderly man sat slouched at the table across from him, his broadsheet newspaper out of place in a room full of faces glazed by the light of phone screens. Matt‘s hand instinctively touched his own in his pocket. If he got it out, his eyes would be glued hard to it, in case the light flashed. His mind knew it would vibrate, but the flash came first. It was an addiction he couldn’t fight. Not to the phone. To her.

His mind buzzed and beeped, unable to fight the itch of wonder…

“...where was she?”

The old man‘s mouth let go of a cough, accompanying the symphony of crinkling as he flipped a page. Matt’s eyes darted up, accidentally catching his gaze, the man smiled at him eagerly folding the paper away.

Matt’s mind shuddered, cursing itself as the man rose, heading towards him. As soon as the stranger came within ear shot, Matt called out trying to put him off.

“Sorry mate, i’m waiting for someone.”

The grin over the worn face widened.

“Someone who still ain’t here yet, ‘ow about a bit of company, to help with the waiting? Whatcha say?”

Put on the spot, Matt’s thoughts already ablaze, he found himself nodding before reason could interject. The flame in his mind was inundated with worries and the urge to call her now - to see where oh where she was. Matt didn’t have the patience for small talk, but it was too late; the elderly man was lowering himself into the chair opposite.

The chair eeking with the slow applying pressure of aching joints, a wry smile found itself on the old man’s lips. In the opposite side of tension: a forced smile began forming on Matt’s dry lips, his hand quivering but extending for an introduction.

Matt seized his hand, attempted to replicate the grip of a handshake. The skin was too thin, too fragile; the bones digging into his palm, a skeletal vein squishing under his thumb. It took all his effort to repress a shudder.

He wasn’t prepared for this.

“You from round here?”

A cold hand grasped Matt’s stomach, his already strained nerves jumping at the possible implication.

“Just moved up.”

Matt studied the old man’s face, trying to gauge his reaction.

“Lot of folks moving up from the city these days.”

“Yeah so it seems.”

He hoped it was the right thing to say, Matt had no wider context for the conversation.

“Born and bred ‘ere me, it’s not like t’used to be.”

“Where is?”

It took a moment for the faded skin to crack into a wide grin, growing into a slow chuckle.

“Aye, aye i’ll grant you that one son.”

The words hung in the air, a silence forming despite the background ebb and flow of the cafe.

“You be makin’ most of this sunshine later?”

Matt, his attention had already wandering to the cafe door, felt the instant heat of uncertainty.

“...yeah.”

“Down’t Swan?”

He could feel the hot flush rising through his cheeks as the conversation slipped beyond him. Matt could tell it was a question, but he had no idea what the old man was asking him.

“You know, the Swan with Two Necks, by’t station? Gunna get myself down early doors, get a good spot in the garden.”

“Oh, i’m not sure.”

The anxious anticipation was curdling into irritation. It has been half an an hour now, this was getting ridiculous, Matt caught himself checking the clock again. He wasn’t the only one.

“Someone running late?”

It seemed like the most pointless question the old man could have asked.

“I guess so.”

“Our Bessie’s like that, you tell her twelve, she’ll turn up at half one with a smile as wide as’t river in swell and a heart twice as bursting. I started telling her I needed her places an hour early, worked a charm ‘til she caught on!”

Matt, following the intonation, gave a grin, letting the movement stretch up to his eyes.

“Sounds like quite the girl.”

“Aye, our Bessie is that for sure, never on time but nothing gets past her, I’ve some stories, when she were younger... aye, but she’d murder me for telling them now.”

The old man’s face crinkled in good humor, the spidery veins all too visible under his worn skin.

“So what’s this one like, keeping you waitin’?”

“Quite a girl herself, but she’s always on time…”

“Ah, I see, you sent her one of those s-m-s things our Bessie is always on at me to try?”

Matt’s forehead ruched in deep, pinched furrows of thoughts. This was too much. He couldn’t do this on his own. How could she do this to him? Why had he let her convince him he was ready!? Each one etched a line across his face.

“Ey son, you go call her, check in, sure she’s just hit traffic down’t main street. Nightmare this time-a day.”

His hand was already on his phone, touching the outline though the worn denim that was all the fashion. He couldn’t get it out. Not in here.

“Actually, I will do mate, would you keep an eye on the table while I step outside?”

“Good on you, manners that is son, not making half't cafe sit through your phone call. Course, now get calling her.”

Matt had to fight not to hurry out of the cafe, desperate to be able to retrieve his phone.

Around the corner, slightly out of the way, Matt pulled out his circular phone. Twisting the device, he clicked through the constellation code. The yellow light flashing as the connection was made.

“Zepher! Where the fuck are you?! You think this is funny? Sending me solo to this backwater planet, you didn’t teach me nearly enough of the language for this shit! No way i’m gunna pass Earth Cultures like this!”

The soft playful laugh that whispered down the phone had a familiar background sound.

“Looked like you were doing pretty well from where I’m sitting.”

Matt span round, peering through the window of the cafe, no longer caring for the conspicuousness of his unusual phone.

Sat there, two tables away from his, not far from the window, a young woman with cropped black hair rippled her fingers in a wave.

“That wasn’t the human suit you told me to expect!”

“Now where’s the fun in that!”

Me and @theironfelix had so much fun writing our coprompt, we couldn't resist trying our own endings, we didn't have the 500 word limit to contend with, so really got to have a bit more fun with it. Check out @theironfelix's ending here it's such a good one <3 I had some endings I was really hoping to see from this prompt, and we got something along the lines of most of them, but I have seen enough history channel to know that one possibility is always aliens, and just couldn't resist this one.

This is an ending to an opening previously used in #finishthestory. The current round is the momentous 50th edition with an opening by @f3nix and hosted by the wonderful @brisby! Every entry wins this round so head over to the post and give it a go!

Photo Credit taken by Pixabay User StockSnap who I use so often! They are also based in the UK and just have so many pictures great for stories - but wow, that's some pricey coffee!