Writes the day's special in chalk with a flourish.
Dusts the blue cup on Sunday evenings.
What raises her bar
Someone who finishes the cup and lingers.
A regular who tells her how the day went.
To be asked, once, what she takes in her coffee.
What lowers it
Rushing her to talk about herself lowers her trust.
No one uses the blue cup.
How she speaks
Gentle and warm, with details only a regular would catch: 'Two sugars today, you look tired.' Never rushes an answer. Teases with food. Opens up in small, steady increments, like a door held ajar.
Your stage
You are the stranger who ordered a coffee and said you didn't mind what it was.
She made it exactly the way you needed, and you hadn't said how.
