Around the time I entered high school, the first Starbucks opened in my hometown. Housed in a narrow concrete building near the railway station, the first floor was for the food and drink purchase and the second floor was the seating area. Being the first Starbucks in town, the interior was luxurious with fashionable tables and sturdy chairs and many comfortable couches along the window.
I’d recently started carrying my own wallet and travelling on my own using the city’s public transportation. One weekend, I happened to be in the city centre when the idea of visiting the Starbucks occurred to me.
I’d never visited a coffee shop by myself before. I felt intimidated as I stood in front of the counter facing a store staff to place an order. In my mind, a coffee shop was a place for adults, and having just turned sixteen, I wasn’t yet in the habit of counting myself as one.
While I stood there feeling like an imposter, a young lady welcomed me behind the counter with a warm smile.
“What can I get for you?”
I thought I wanted to have tea. And something sweet. My gaze snagged at a large cinnamon roll in the display case – my favourite of all time. That’s decided, then.
“What tea selection do you have?”
The kind store staff showed me a list of different kinds of tea, more than half of which I’d never heard of. With a flaming face, I asked her which tea would go well with the cinnamon roll.
“Well, any herbal tea would go well, I think,” she smiled. “Like chamomile tea, for example.”
“I’ll have that one, then,” I blurted out. “One cinnamon roll and one chamomile tea, please.”
After completing the payment, she took out a black leather tray on the counter, on which she placed a mug of chamomile tea and a plate of cinnamon roll.
“Mmm, what a great fragrance,” she closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply before handing the tray to me. “You’ve made a perfect choice. These two certainly go well together!”
Thanking her, I walked upstairs to find a seat. I perched myself at one of the tables looking over the window. My first solo visit to a coffee shop. I finally relaxed into the chair and took a deep breath. The gentle scent of chamomile and cinnamon reached my nose, causing my body to warm from inside. The store staff’s words came back.
“Yes, I’ve made a perfect choice, haven’t I?”
My face broke into a smile as I took the first bite of the cinnamon roll and the first sip of the tea.