He Asked for a List
So, she asked for the same...
On a rainy morning in August, a man admires a woman in a quaint cafe. He walks up to her and asks politely, “Tell me a list of what I need to do to date you?” She quickly replies, “That is odd, I do not need a list, but will you answer the same? Write your list down, we will talk in half an hour. If you need longer, I will be here next week at the same time.”
She laughs and saunters away to a small corner table.
A tall, hot latte is warranted on this dreary Saturday morning in Brooklyn. She often goes alone to this funky scene nestled amidst a quadrant of flowers and trees. The open-concept, plant-filled arboretum resembles a garden center more than a cafe. The live, all-day music is always fabulous — Rock, Jazz, Indie, Classical, Folk, and sometimes Punk.
That is the owner’s schtick; Owen keeps his clientele guessing, and he pays a pretty penny for the artists. The genre is always a secret- never listed on the internet. Interesting technique. This method has been working for him for about three years. The owner is a city guy who ran to Brooklyn to make his millions. He is doing just that.
Time ticks. She sips her latte and thinks pensively about what she would like from a new relationship. She listens to the Bob Dylan tune being sung… -“The Times They are a-changing” -by a cool, raspy female guitarist. The singer gives the song its due while echoing times past, in a cute hippie skirt with jeans. Interesting vibe.
As she glances upward, the server places another coffee in front of her with a chocolate croissant. She replies, “ Thank you, but I didn’t order these.” The server says, “ Owen ordered these for you. He says you are taking much too long with your list.”
She laughs, nods, and takes out her iPhone. She types:
New Relationship Needs ( he said ‘NEEDS’ not wants…hmm…)
Honesty
5 minutes later…
she’s got nothing else…
15 minutes…
She’s got nothing else.
The song changes, this time it is REM’s “Losing My Religion”
“The lengths that I will go…the distance in your eyes…” He glances up at her. He is concentrating too much on these words from the song, but he is charming, and his fashion is somewhat hipster.
The hippie guitarist girl stops singing mid-way and drinks her lemon water- odd…then begins where she left off. “Oh no, I’ve said too much, I’ve set it up…”
The woman walks over to the guy, now with two friends behind the counter, and quietly passes her phone to him. It reads “Honesty” — He laughs and gives her his, and it reads “Truth”.
She gets up and walks out laughing.
He follows.
Three years, two days later, they smile lovingly at each other as they drive past their cafe. “The Times They Are a-Changing” by artist Bob Dylan is playing on their SiriusXM Radio as they hurriedly travel for the birth of their first child.
I wish you peace, love, and all that hippie shit. (It is good to have an edge)
Love, Brooklyn
If you choose to, you may — Buy me a coffee? It will be much appreciated.
You write great narrative poetry; what else is there to say? A Romantic Hippie?
What a beautifully written piece, Brooklyn! I love how you wove the music and atmosphere of the cafe into the story... it really sets the scene and pulls the reader in. The simplicity of their lists, "Honesty" and "Truth," speaks volumes about what truly matters in a relationship. And that ending? Perfectly heartwarming, with Bob Dylan tying it all together. Great storytelling with just the right touch of hippie charm!