No More Coffee

Tammy slurped down hot espresso from a white styrofoam cup. The hot rich liquid scalded her tongue a bit, but she didn’t mind. It had been over twenty years since she had any form of java. The sweet nectar. The juice that made things go go go.

The alleyway she stood in reeked—it had rained during the night and unearthed all the lovely smells of a big city that never saw any maintenance or cleaning. Garbage was piled up on both sides of the alley. People just threw their crap out of the windows. The only thing that kept the streets somewhat clear were the auto-drones. She looked at one crumpled on its side, surrounded by trash. Broken down with no one to fix it. How the hell did things get so bad? Society had gone to hell in a shit basket.

Tammy felt the weight of the fifty-pound knapsack slung over her shoulder. She smiled. But no time to savor the rest of the coffee, better finish it and scram. She had acquired the illegal beans just a few minutes prior. A secret hideout. It had taken her years to track down the coffee rebellion but she finally did it and got her hands on the finest beans to boot. She put her time in and had been rewarded. Tammy looked down into the dark espresso and took another swig.

A car came careening down the alley. Tammy's hands trembled and she clutched the hot styrofoam cup.

The car screeched to a halt. Two men jumped out with weapons drawn.

“Freeze!” The bigger of the two officers yelled and pointed a gun at Tammy.

Tammy downed the rest of the espresso.

“I said, freeze. Put down the cup. Slowly.”

Tammy tipped the cup over. “Hey, look. It’s all gone. And it was delicious.” She threw the cup to the ground.

“Bitch,” the other officer muttered under his breath.

More cop cars came. Sirens flashed. A mob of policeman now surrounded Tammy.

“We know you got the beans. Place them on the ground.”

She looked around. No escape. Caffeine ran through her veins.

“You know, fellas, for working for a government that outlaws coffee and that discourages work, you boys sure have a lot to do.”

The officers all looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

“Well, yes. Someone has to keep the order,” one of the officers said.

Tammy grinned.

“So, you boys have all this work to do. Tracking down the rebellion. Without any coffee.” She strolled a few feet and kicked at a pebble on the ground.

“Look, missy. We’re bringing you in.” An office approached Tammy with handcuffs.

“Hey, all I’m saying is that it must be such a drag. You doing all that hard work. Sitting in donut shops. And no coffee in sight.”

The officer stopped in his tracks. He looked behind at the other men who had all lowered their weapons.

“It stinks!” one of them yelled.

“It’s not fair,” another chimed in.

“Look here, boys.” Tammy slung the knapsack off her shoulder and opened it.

She knelt down, took a handful of beans out of the bag and sifted them through her fingers, letting them fall to the ground. The sound of the black beans hitting the wet pavement echoed in the alley.

“Hey, now, you don’t have to do that,” the arresting officer said.

“Well, you’re just gonna confiscate it. Then destroy it.”

“It’s outlawed, yes,” one of the officers said.

Morning light started to peek through grey clouds and cast shadows in the alleyway.

Tammy grabbed another handful of beans and threw them on the ground.

“Stop that!” one of the officers yelled.

The other officers all grumbled in agreeance.

Tammy straightened and held out her hands over the bag of beans.

“Come and get it, boys.”

All the men ran towards her. They crowded around the knapsack and sniffed the delightful aroma.

“Oh god, that smells good," one said.

“Yes, please. We need a brewer!” another yelled.

Tammy swiveled around and knocked on a brick three times. A doorway materialized.

“Down there, boys. We got coffee and donuts.”

The mob of policeman ran through the door. Tammy smiled. Another group of police turned to the cause.

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Thank you to the lovely peeps over at Isle of Write for editing suggestions on this silly piece.

Image Source

art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics