Coffee Culture by Vincent JS Wood

He picked me up in the van, that damn van.

“You wanna’ get a coffee?”

“Yeah, I could go for a coffee.”

“But do you want a coffee?”

“What does it matter if I want a coffee or not?”

“Because if you don’t want coffee we won’t get coffee.”

“I never said I didn’t want coffee.”

“You didn’t sound too enthused.”

“Enthused? Enthused!? Look man, the coffee’s not the point, the point is spending tie with each other. Y’know, socialising.”

“Just get in the van.”

“It’s a shitty van.”

“Fuck you.”

We drove to this little indie place where everyone is trying so hard to look different that they all end up looking exactly the same. He orders a black coffee; I have mine white with a flavour shot.

“Why’d you get vanilla?”

“I like vanilla, I like the taste.”

“Yeah but if you go for a coffee get a coffee, don’t fuck about with the flavour.”

“Nah man, I always liked the idea of coffee more than the taste. You think of coffee and you think of this rich, full bodied aroma that clings to your nose hairs and warms your lungs but when you take a sip you get this bitter shit that clutches the back of your throat.”

“You’re such a pussy.”

“Not at all, I just like my coffee like I like my women. Pale and sickly.”

He gives a full on hearty chortle.

“Hey, remember when I used to work in that cofeeshop?”

“Yeah man, I used to bring my girlfriend in to see you all the time.”

“Oh yeah, whatever happened to her?”

“She’s my wife. I married her and you were the best man.”

We both crack up.

“You guys always were good to me. Easily some of my favourite customers.”

“Some of? Surely we were your number one favourite customers?”

“I dunno, we had this one really…err…’eccentric’ guy who’d come in and tell us insane stories about his life.”

“Was he mad?”

“Yeah, he was full on.”

We finished our coffees and left.

That night I couldn’t sleep, I guess because of the coffee. I lit a cigarette and stared out of the window wondering what the mad old boy was up to now.

© 2013 Vincent JS Wood

Vincent Wood is a Creative Writing graduate from the University of Greenwich, London.  He’s had several short stories published both online and in print by various magazines. As well as winning a special commendation from First Writer Magazine’s Eighth International Short Story competition Vincent was also shortlisted for Askance publishing’s 2012 short story competition.

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