Unwinding in Aromatic Bliss

Café Break Under the Trees

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Warm pastry-scented air. Coziness settles in, like a soft hug. Wafts of aromatic coffee float in and out teasing my senses.

I find a spot outside. A green metal chair and a table adorned with filagree carvings. The air is delicate, almost too delicate. The wispy air before the harshness of the seasons cold.

I sip the soothing hot liquid; it caresses my lips and satisfies my thirst. I breathe. I take in my surroundings. A tree-lined street across a busy intersection. People. People walking by. I love watching people. It’s an inquisitive pastime. Curiosity. Contemplation. A bicyclist donning colored gear, gliding by. The pull and stretch of their mechanical body. Man and machine. Coexistence. A woman with loud hair and a fluffy little pooch. I watch its little pink tongue panting happily along, little pit pats of feet on the cement sidewalk. Man and creature. Uncanny if you truly think about it, yet ordinary. The quintessential best friend.

I seize the creamy Danish. Bite into its tall crust. Sweetness hits my tastebuds, the flaky buttery crunch, and the creaminess of the sweetened cheese. I normally wouldn’t let myself have indulgences. When was the last time I enjoyed a pastry? Too long. Far too long. I haven’t been kind to myself. I’m used to pleasure postponed.