Cafe Friday #4

The little TV was on in the kitchen while I whipped up some grub for dinner.  Emmi my roommate is Pescatarian (this week) and so grilled shrimp and garlic sauce was on the menu tonight along with some turmeric coconut rice and a big green salad.  I always feel better when I cook, something about concentrating on one task, seeing it through, getting a little creative and making people happy, it's one of the best things in the world.  If our place ever caught fire, I'd be grabbing my cookbooks as part of my essentials, it's that deep. 

Between chopping cilantro, I caught bits and pieces of some design show, where they take old buildings and businesses and restore them.  The guy on this episode had inherited a little family restaurant that had seen better days. He didn't want to just close it since it was a favorite of Civil Rights leaders years ago, and was still important to people now as a gathering place.  By the end of the show, the whole town had showed up at the big reveal and it was amazing, community unity, very dope...and inspiring.  What if I could take over Tango's and make it something more than a corporate coffee stop.  What if it was more welcoming to older folks, and little ones? We could keep our local vendors, and maybe expand the menu from the basics, add flavors more reflective of our neighborhood.  I shared my initial thoughts with Emmi. 

     "I think it'd be great!", she said between muffled bites of shrimp, "Sounds amazing...if you actually do it.  Wasn't it last year you wanted to start an urban writers guild and before that you wanted to open an art therapy studio or something like that?"

     "Yeah, point?"

     "I'm just saying, you have great ideas T-dot, but what are you gonna do to make them happen? Ask yourself, how can I live in the now?"

    "What the business seminar are you talking about? 'Live in the now'? Really? Okay."  We both laughed a bit on that one.

     "Mock me all you want young Padawan, but elude you success will, if action is taken not!"

I responded to her poor Yoda attempt with an even more terrible Wookie impression and we both had to laugh.  Much as I hated to admit it, the perky one was right.  After I left Axiom Marketing, I had vowed to take my severance and turn it into a start up that would eventually crush them to eteranal oblivion, and I would take a year to develop a plan to do just that.  Then a year turned into two and a half years (so far); I guess working at the cafe has softened me, in many good ways.  But this was a time to get refocused, and yet still find a way to stay grounded.

Friday came around again, and thankfully, so did the Joah.  When the crowd died down this time, I didn't give him the chance to haggle me; I plopped right down on the seat across from him by the window.

     "Ain't you supposed to be swabbing the deck or something?", he quipped, "Miss Busy I ain't got no time for you Joe-Ah." He wagged his head back and forth and acted like he was wiping a table.

     "Why do I even bother?"

     "You know you love me girl! You be missing my face! Where for art thou Lord Joah? Ha ha ha!"

Though that may be true, I'm sure not going to tell his goofy self.  "I want to get your thoughts on something."

     "Yes, the lashes on your right eye are longer than on the left.  Oh, that's not what you wanted to talk about?"

     "JOAH!", I exclaimed, my voice echoed to the point that the thick book girl even looked up for a moment.  He started cracking up so hard he started coughing.  So fake.  Eventually he quit joking around and I shared my ideas about Tango's.  I could see his mind was working, and he pulled out his composition book and started writing things down. 

     "So what do you think?", I asked, curious.

     "Wow. I think its a brilliant idea.  I agree with Emmer though, you should have a plan to see it through, if you really want it.  My only concern would be about the pressure of trying to shoulder that responsibility would impede the creative flow you have now.  Nobody wants you back in robot mode.  I scratched down a few steps I might take and a few people I would consult with on this.  But most of all, just know you can do it, and you have people in your corner who believe in you." 

I quickly studied the torn notebook paper and it was an outline of everything I needed. Just like that. All I could do is shake my head.  "You're an architect." I blurted out.

     "And you're a dreamer.  Thank you for allowing me to build in your world."  And with a kiss on the forehead, he was gone again.  I reread the paper he gave me, at the bottom was his personal number, email and a note, "Don't be blowing up my number either! JK JK"

I have a Joah. I am thankful.