Quiet, you could say. Sombre felt more apt. The aroma of freshly ground coffee wafted through the air, ensnaring me in its scent. A deep breath; the bitter fragrance coated my lungs. A long exhale; warm breath clouding the glass looking onto the streets.
I was huddled in the corner of the cafe. Alone, slouched over my coffee, naked hands wrapped around the curvature of the pine-green mug, like half-frozen travellers cramped around a campfire and desperate for warmth. Oh, how I loathed snow. Though, the window’s passer-bys didn’t seem to mind.
They always had somewhere to go and always in a rush to get there, not so much as stopping to breathe for a moment and take in the smell of shit and sewage, bask in the heat of the buses exhaust or perhaps shoot a degrading glare at a homeless man.
The jingle of the door signalled a new traveller in my midst. They waltzed in, dragging in snow with their boots. Another deep breath; the slimy odour of burning rubber clawed into my throat. Coughing; met with backwards glances for a fleeting second, and all then resumed.
The newcomer ordered their beverage, an iced latte? Odd, to say the least. But who was I to judge? They sat near me, glancing over their shoulder, eyes studying me. Up and down and then down and up. A slight furrowing of their nose; they got up, trudged over to another seat and plopped themselves down, never looking back.
A sigh, my coffee had gotten cold. The half-frozen travellers huddled tighter for warmth against dwindling embers, to no avail. A deeper sigh, the coffee sloshed down my throat; unsatisfying. Mud-brown gloves pulled over my fingers, salvation for those decrepit wanderers.
“Thank you” muttered I. A jingle of the door, boots buried in snow, dragged across onto the streets. I moved forward, passing the window I had just been looking out of. A deep sigh; eruption of mist clouding my eyes. Fumes drew water from them, I walked forwards. A homeless man wrapped tight in a blanket, I waked along. Snow scattered onto the streets, and I walked onwards.
Saye Kamal 