An Unexpected Customer

The smell of coffee was always welcomed; it provided a sense of comfort to Carmen, even if he wasn’t one of those people they dubbed a ‘coffee snob.’ He was working the espresso station, his preferred spot during his shift as it provided a lot of busy work and kept him available to chat when he’d hand off drinks to customers. It was a normal, busy afternoon as it would be every day. Hearing the ring of the door opening, Carmen didn’t even lift his head as he offered the typical cheerful greeting of “Welcome in.”

“Carmen,” came the response from the customer who walked in, a greeting of their own. Upon hearing the voice, Carmen’s movements froze. Turning his head in the direction of the voice, Carmen was met with the smiling face of Morgan, a priest the barista had a history with. Morgan wasn’t in his usual robes, just a white button-up and slacks; Carmen would have overlooked him had he not spoken up. The priest was already making his way over to the counter where Skye was stationed on register, and Carmen felt his heart drop.

He almost fumbled as he rushed over to the register, immediately feeling Ione’s eyes on him. Ione knew of Morgan; after all, it was the priest who had asked the owner of the cafe to take Carmen in, aiding in getting his life together. Carmen’s other coworkers, however, did not. They didn’t know about his violent past, filled with street fights of a rambunctious youth, a boy with no direction finding solace in the wrong company. Carmen had left out so much of himself. If his coworkers were asked about him, they might not be able to come up with much information other than that he was nice, played guitar sometimes, and on occasion had a temper. Perhaps to his coworkers, when Carmen would threaten unruly customers, it seemed like a bluff. But Ione knew. Ione always knew Carmen’s threats were anything but empty, even so, they kept him around.

“Skye, I think the cold brew is getting low. Do you think you could get another batch started for me?” Carmen's voice wavered as he made his request. He could see the gears turning in Skye’s mind, noting his out-of-character behavior. Before Skye could voice any concern, Carmen spoke again, “Please?” There was an edge of desperation in his tone. Carmen was thankful when Skye just nodded, hesitantly leaving to follow the request. There was no time to feel relief. Carmen’s focus was now solely on Morgan, who simply stood at the register with a look of...irritation?

“Morgan. What do you want?” Carmen’s tone was anything but warm, filled with the creeping anxiety he felt rising up. Morgan hadn’t mentioned wanting to stop by. If he had, Carmen would have dissuaded him. Since he wasn’t given the chance, the barista found himself irritated with the priest. Morgan, however, was caught off guard by just how on edge Carmen seemed. The priest pieced it together quickly with how eager Carmen had been to get his coworkers away from them.

“You haven’t told them?” Morgan asked, his tone carrying a weight of disappointment.

“What do you want?” Carmen repeated stubbornly, refusing to answer the priest’s question. Carmen would forever be thankful for the help Morgan had given him in getting his life together, but his presence was currently a threat in Carmen’s eyes, a threat to the person he wanted to be. He wanted to be kind, gentle, a protector. Would that change if the friends he had made found out who he used to be? Would they look at him differently? Those were questions Carmen didn’t want the answers to. In truth, the barista was terrified. He wasn’t sure he could cope if his coworkers ever looked at him with fear.

Morgan casts Ione a spare glance, noting they haven't once looked away from the pair. Deciding to stop holding up the line with their back and forth, he says, "Whatever is fine. You can cover it," with a click of his tongue. Carmen has no complaints there; at least Morgan is moving away from the counter.

By this time, Skye is back, and Carmen is already working his apron off. "I’m finishing this order then going on break," he announces, his voice flustered and his movements a little erratic. He can sense the growing unease in his coworkers, unsure if it's due to Morgan's appearance or his own behavior. Right now, Carmen doesn't care to find out.

It's a race to get the order done, but finally, he moves out from behind the counter and ushers the priest outside.

As soon as they're outside, Carmen turns on Morgan, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You didn’t even tell me you were coming. What the hell, Morgan?"

“I didn’t think I had to let you know my every move, Carmen. I just wanted to see how you were doing at work. There’s no crime in that.” Morgan shifts, sending the barista a glare of his own. He found it unfair that Carmen would treat him this harshly when all he was trying to do was check up on him. “I would have thought by now that—”

“It’s not like it just comes up in normal conversation, Morgan!” Carmen cuts him off with a hiss, heavily agitated. “And it’s not important either. The past is just the past, I’m not that person anymore.”

“It’s important if it weighs on your mind every day, Carmen.”

Silence. This argument has been had more than once, and it always ends the same. Morgan had a point, and Carmen hated it. He wasn’t ready for that conversation, hell, he wasn’t even sure how it’d come up. Every time it’d come up, Carmen would argue he’ll do it when he’s ready. Morgan knew that time would never come and was growing agitated watching Carmen act like a child.

“That’s not me—”

“That’s not what I meant. Look, we’re not going to get anywhere with this. I’d like to catch up with you. Come on, let’s take this somewhere else, over a beer. I could provide some comfort.” Morgan’s voice drops lower, a comforting hand placed firmly on Carmen’s arm. Carmen seems to relax slightly under the touch. “I’ve missed you, and I worry for you. You don’t fault me for that, do you?” he urges, and Carmen finds it impossible to stay irritated any longer. He realizes that yes, he was the one being difficult, not Morgan.

“Just wait outside, please. I’ll be back,” Carmen replies, turning away and walking back into the café. As soon as he steps in, he feels multiple sets of eyes on him. Carmen tries to ignore it, avoiding eye contact with everyone until he’s stopped in his tracks by a hand grabbing his sweater.

Looking over, Carmen is met with Ben’s concerned stare, a regular who could get fussy if Carmen wasn't the one making his drink. Carmen had not realized until now that his own expression had darkened. “Hey, don’t you have a deadline to meet, Ben? Don’t lose focus now.” Carmen speaks, offering the usual smile Ben would be met with. The barista reaches over to grab the bill of Ben’s cap, tugging it down and effectively covering the writer’s eyes with a laugh.

Before Ben can get a word in, Carmen pulls away from his grasp, his smile fading just as quickly as it came on.

Carmen felt Skye’s eyes following his movements, and Ione seemed to be on standby as well. He made his way to the back of the counter and once again tried to smile, attempting to disperse any concerns Skye might have. “Sorry, something came up, so I think I’ll be heading out for now. Thanks for your help, Skye. See you tomorrow?” As he passed his coworker, he gave them the usual pat on the head, though the touch was hesitant.

Carmen grabbed his apron from the counter, folding it neatly and handing it to Ione. He avoided their gaze and muttered a soft apology as he backed away, dejected. Ione’s gaze and reaction stung the most; they always had to be watchful with him around, didn’t they? He was just someone who couldn’t be trusted around others, a violent oaf. Rather than ask Ione what their actual thoughts were on him, Carmen stuck to his assumptions, grabbing his things and leaving the shop where Morgan was waiting.

Morgan was silent as Carmen came out, eyes quickly scanning over the other and picking Carmen apart. He had noted Carmen’s increase of anxiety and decided once more, he’d drop the topic. “Let’s pick up some beer, you’re buying.” The priest says, and all Carmen does in return is nod.

The two had a rather complex relationship, but at the very least Morgan could provide some comfort and advice when needed. As the pair walk off, Carmen has to keep himself from looking back, more anxiety creeping in about seeing his coworkers tomorrow, there was the temptation to quit but he knew Morgan would be against that. Carmen couldn’t run from everything.