Getting A Coffee

Meeting various people for coffee used to be such a common daily occurrence. When I actually like having a conversation with these humans (clients or acquaintances) and are happy to head out of the office conference room, but don't want to sit down for an extended meal with them, getting a coffee somewhere is a great compromise. 

Now I avoid it. Work doesn't require me to meet potential clients over coffee anymore. Pre-COVID-19, video calls are the norm. Now, it’s fairly standard. Also, I don't need worry about getting more projects till next year. I'm immensely grateful that I have paying projects secured for this year till next July. Having a cup of coffee in a cafe now is a once-a-week or at most twice-a-week affair with the friends I see regularly.

Popped into Gather for a late afternoon coffee. J texted to say that she was late but she was in a cab. I LOVE FRIENDS LIKE THIS. All the people I call 'friends' are the type who wouldn't make me wait for anything more than 30 minutes without telling me why. They're efficient and sane. Not an ounce of inflated sense of privilege or self-entitlement in them. (I'm very stingy with my definition of 'friends'. Knowing someone for x number of years don't make them one.) In return, they get absolute friend privileges from me happily waiting for them. Hahaha. I wouldn't exactly be waiting. I would be reading, or clearing emails, or having a drink first. 

Today, Gather’s coffee machine was down. They were tinkering with it and there was hope that it would be back in operation in 30 minutes. Perfect. Coffee later then. J should arrive by then. It would sad if she couldn't get a coffee because she also hadn't sat down at a cafe for ages! I was hungry, so I ate first. Uncharacteristically, I ordered a sweet crêpe of fig and camembert, with fig jam and honey. Hahahah. The fruits that topped the crêpe were sour-ish; with each bite, they managed to help balance out the sugar.