Ted

Those who know me, know that I like coffee and crave the atmosphere of a nice quaint coffee shop to mellow out in and catch my thoughts. So, it was lucky for me and all of us in The Animal Club that our apartment happened to be located a mere block away from Viva Java and even luckier for us was that Ted was the loving owner. Every morning, on our way to the train for work, there was Ted standing behind the counter. Instantly, he'd see us and a warm smile of recognition spread across his face and a hand would come up and wave at us like we were old friends. It was enough to wake you up once and for all from that dragging sleepiness which comes with knowing you have to go to work and be excited that smiles like those could be waiting for you throughout the day. And, even if you didn't get a single other smile the whole day, you knew that, coming off that train, there awaited the promise of another warm smile and a wave from Ted and a cup of coffee if you liked. He conversed with us all and really wanted to know how we were and what we were up to. It was real conversation, just as his smile and his laugh were real. You could tell he loved his little shop and the rotating cast of characters that passed in and out. He treated us all with that same familiarity and interest and even if you didn't like coffee, if you went to Viva Java once, you'd want to come back again just to say hi to Ted. He meant a lot to all of us. To the point that if we were low on cash and had to go to the other local coffee shop which accepted credit cards, we all felt a little saddened and covered our cups as we walked past Ted, for fear he'd be disappointed in us. This was a ridiculous act, of course. Because, even after weeks of absence from his coffee shop, the day we came back, we were treated like it had only been a day. That was the magic of Ted.

Two weeks ago, the lights went dark and for days on end, Viva Java didn't open its doors. We had known that Ted had been sick at one time, but from that warmth he emitted, we thought whatever was ailing him was past. So, when the sign appeared one morning letting us know that Ted had passed away, we were taken aback. We didn't know what to do. It just felt wrong and weird. We only knew him from those visits to the shop. We had only exchanged glimpses of our lives. We didn't even know his last name and here he was gone. There was so much more that we wanted to know and see of him. Life is funny like that, I suppose. There are people you just get to meet in passing. You never know them that well, but they leave lasting marks.

Now, I walk to work in the morning and Viva Java is dark. I get off the train after work and it's still dark. I find myself searching for that smile and that wave to wake me up and excite me to the possibilities of the day. And I suppose Ted reminded to keep an eye out for more warm smiles and waves in this world. But, to know that his smile and his wave are gone is too much to think about. So, I'll think of his warmth, the light he emitted and, with that, Viva Java will always be illuminated.

Rest In Peace My Friend.