tlcorbin
Hazel CastilloHe'll be back?
September 26th 2006 05:52
I was at "The Spot" at 194 Pitt St, a small little basement cafe, with corner couches and a sort of European charm heightened by the French sounding barrista who manages the place. The cafe serves beer and wine on a lazy Monday afternoon and boasts a wireless internet hot spot, despite its subterranean location.
As I was enjoying my usual flat white, a camp pot bellied man burst in through the stairs.
"Have a seat anywhere you like," was the barrista's gentle request, cutting off his mad dash towards the rear.
"I...I just need to use the toilet," was his sheepish reply.
Caught! How sheepish and embarassed do we feel using the facilities when we have no intention of being paying customers. In this day and age, many stores ward off potential free loaders: "Restrooms are for customers only" as if most persons were brazen enough to rush to the back of the store demanding such a service. Actually, most persons who WOULD be brazen enough to do such a thing, probably really really need to, and who are these store managers to deny the call of mother nature.
Nevertheless, the man hung his head in shame as he shuffled towards the back of the room towards the set of doors the barrista was kind enough to point out.
Moments later, he emerged, a gentile gait in his step. He strode purposefully over to the front counter.
"I...I just had lunch. Do...do you have a wine list?" He was shown a long list of wines and beers.
"And...and are you open at night or just during the day?"
"Yes. We are open at night," the barrista replied.
"Oh. Well that's great," the man handed back the menu with a dramatic flair. "I'll be back later then." And he shuffled back up the stairs without another word, relieved of his previous burden, relinquished from his internal guilt.
He'll be back.
Maybe "The Spot" will become his spot of choice. There are stranger reasons why people pick their favourite cafes.
They also serve a pretty good flat white.
As I was enjoying my usual flat white, a camp pot bellied man burst in through the stairs.
"Have a seat anywhere you like," was the barrista's gentle request, cutting off his mad dash towards the rear.
"I...I just need to use the toilet," was his sheepish reply.
Caught! How sheepish and embarassed do we feel using the facilities when we have no intention of being paying customers. In this day and age, many stores ward off potential free loaders: "Restrooms are for customers only" as if most persons were brazen enough to rush to the back of the store demanding such a service. Actually, most persons who WOULD be brazen enough to do such a thing, probably really really need to, and who are these store managers to deny the call of mother nature.
Nevertheless, the man hung his head in shame as he shuffled towards the back of the room towards the set of doors the barrista was kind enough to point out.
Moments later, he emerged, a gentile gait in his step. He strode purposefully over to the front counter.
"I...I just had lunch. Do...do you have a wine list?" He was shown a long list of wines and beers.
"And...and are you open at night or just during the day?"
"Yes. We are open at night," the barrista replied.
"Oh. Well that's great," the man handed back the menu with a dramatic flair. "I'll be back later then." And he shuffled back up the stairs without another word, relieved of his previous burden, relinquished from his internal guilt.
He'll be back.
Maybe "The Spot" will become his spot of choice. There are stranger reasons why people pick their favourite cafes.
They also serve a pretty good flat white.
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