What a day!

Morning normally comes way too early in the day. Today it was bit late, exciting and interesting. For most of my adult life it began about 6am. During the winter I needed an alarm clock, but when summer comes sun light and chirping birds do the trick to get me out of bed. Today for some unexplained reason my first sight of the alarm clock was about 9 o’clock.

Well, so I’m a bit late, only 3 hours. The rest of the office can get along without me for a short time. After a quick shower and shave I headed out on my daily route. First stop, only a block from home, was the corner coffee shop and I do mean on the corner, it’s on 1st Street at 2nd Street. Don’t ask, this town is a bit weird, as the shop’s name, “Bad City Coffee“, But it has the best in town. It looks a little like the gathering place where Jerry, George and Elaine met. But with a few differences. It’s really clean, and at 7 in the morning it’s very busy. Today, though, at 10 it’s almost empty. Neat flowers adorn all the tables, and even the breakfast counter. All the used dishes are clean and stacked ready for the lunch crowd.

When I walk in I notice only two patrons, they look like a pair of construction workers. No food, just cups of coffee and chipped yellow hard-hats on the table. They look like they are a bit early for a coffee break. I spot Mel, the cook, in the kitchen wearing his usual greasy apron and chef’s hat. He sees me, smiles and waves his usual greeting.

And of course there’s Suzie, with flowing brunette hair. I wouldn’t say she’s short, just under-tall. She’s behind the counter in her spotless yellow uniform dress with the normal waitress apron with order books in the pocket. Yup, a typical morning but with out the hustle and bustle that I see in the early hours before everyone is at the office. I guess I’ve had breakfast here for close to 10 years. She and Mel have been here every morning I can remember. They work good together to keep all their patrons happy and well fed.

Suzie comes over and we talk about the weather and why I’m so late. After I tell her about over sleeping she takes my order, eggs over easy, sausage and home-fries with onions of course. And my usual large glass of Orange Juice with a cup of strong dark roast coffee. Today I don’t wait long, with nothing much going on Mel has my order ready almost before Suzie calls it to him. He’s cooked the same for many years and knows just how I like my first meal of the day. After he brings it out, a service I only get when Suzie is busy with the normal crowd, he hangs his apron back in the kitchen and waves Suzie a friendly “See you later” and leaves. I think he only works the morning shift, and that the lunch cook will be in soon. I hope so because it looks like Suzie will have to fix-up any orders if he doesn’t make it in on time. I’m enjoying a leisurely breakfast so I don’t rush and drink a second cup of coffee while Suzie cleans off my dishes, washes them and stacks them neatly to dry.

Soon I feel the need to get to the office, so I pay my bill, leave a tip and get ready to leave. Suzie calls out that she’ll walk out with me. As we walk out the door the two construction workers leave right behind us. Coffee break is over for them too. As we step off the curb I hear a resounding “CRASH!” behind us. I turn to see what happened.

A huge wrecking ball was finishing its swing – demolishing the shop from one side while a giant bulldozer plows into it from the other. The shop is gone! Just a pile of broken bricks, the Bad City Coffee sign lies in a tangled heap. The construction workers are busy string the ubiquitous yellow tape. ” Construction Zone Do Not Enter “. I guess they were waiting for us to leave. I’ll really miss that place, I don’t know how to cook early in the day.

I said the day was starting out on a different note.

For the October 12th Sunday Photo Fiction Demolition of an old building