I strolled in on a Sunday morning looking for a place to get some school work done. I ran into an old high school buddy and I usually hate the small-talk involved in these run-ins but this was a pleasant run-in. I ordered an Americano with a small mac n' cheese and a small tabouli salad.
Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not scoping out the two floors of the cafe before getting my order to stay. Both upstairs and downstairs were both packed with patrons! After circling the place several times, I finally got sick of my tray full of food and coffee and sat on the relegated children's play corner.
The chair I sat in was super awkward, after all it was made for a child. I quickly ate the mac n' cheese, which was tasty but the tabouli was lacking in citrus so I picked through the veggies instead. Washing it all down I noticed I wasn't alone in the corner. There was an old gentleman reading his paper and managed to sit cross-legged in the same awkward chair I sat on and without hesitation, exchanged polite nods with me. I quietly sipped my coffee and rather than jump into deep reflection over usual nonsense, I began to examine the toy train set in front of me and had the strong urge to kneel over and start putting together an EPIC train course . Suddenly the old man spoke
"Tempting isn't it?"
"Yeah"
"If I didn't have this newspaper I'd jump right in too"
Thus restores my faith in Humanity :P