Coffee Story
Coffee and I had an inauspicious start. I was visiting my grandparents in Idaho along with my family and 20 teens from my dad’s youth group who were there on a missions trip. On the morning of our departure, we got up around four in the morning to make the drive to the airport in Salt Lake City. My grandmother asked me if I would like coffee mixed with hot chocolate. Something warm and waking sounded perfect.
I carried my cup of coffee into the bed of my grandfather’s covered truck. I chose this seat as my teenage crush also decided to take the bumpy ride to the airport. What luck, I thought–myself, my little brother & my crush, Philip, all in one place. Surely, he can’t help but notice me now. What witty conversation we will have in the truck bed. What a great story to tell our children. What can I say, I am a girl! Our minds wander to the future like any good forward thinker.
I honestly don’t remember what the three of us talked about on this ride. I do remember bumps, Philip’s jet black shiny hair, jostles, Philip’s olive skin, and nauseousness. Part way through the ride, the nauseousness took over. My chocolate coffee drink on an empty stomach seemed like a very bad choice. I knew I needed to get outside. I would not puke in front of my crush.
My grandparents and my mom were in the cab of the truck. I could see them through the cab’s back window. After informing my brother & my crush of my troubles, I began pounding on the cab window. I might as well have been lightly tapping as they clearly could not hear me. Graciously, my crush joined in, and we finally got their attention. After a game of puke charades, they pulled over just in time. I successfully did not lose my coffee in front of my crush. I did, however, spent the rest of the ride in the cab, mortified.
As you might imagine, I did not touch coffee for a very long time after that. It’s funny to me that I now run a coffeehouse. Very ironic. Apparently I wasn’t scarred for life. But I probably won’t ride in the bed of a truck with a cup of coffee any time soon.