Familiar faces...

Watching him across the street, sitting down in the same chair, same hat, with a book in his hand… Drinking his coffee bean drink makes me smile.

Each time I work, I wait until I get to see him from the shop. He is quite intrigued with his British accent and his little comfort food in his pocket. Can’t get enough!

A great reason to smile, that’s for sure! 

The way he looks at me and salutes me like a gentleman, waving his hat at me… While from the shop I smile back at him, wave and keep smiling big! Always alone with a book, a little notebook and his coffee bean drink. A pencil in his right hand, he observes people pass by, read a few lines from his book before looking back up at the people who keep passing by him! It’s becoming normal, almost a necessary for the shop, well for me at least! Having him around a familiar face, a familiar touch! A way to know has someone familiar around when you are working alone in the shop. Hilarious enough, missing a day without my British friend is just plain depressing! He might not do much, but his presence is around, making me want to get to know him more, know what’s his life, what’s his hobbies, his little addictions… What happened to him being in California with a British accent? He can only be British! 

Being interested in him just makes my working days ten times better! I imagine what his life might be like, imagine what he does outside of his little reading and note time. Between that morning coffee bean to his evening one? What does he do? Does he have a family, a wife, children?

I would assume he doesn’t have any wife, he doesn’t have a ring, but that again, might just be wrong, he might have been married… If he went to school around here? Who knows…

I let my imagination run free, wild, flow around while I believe whatever comes to mind because each time something new come up! No clue if I’m right or wrong, but my vivid thoughts keep running free. 

This man must be in his late 60’s, British (his accent gives that one away), not too much of a sweet tooth, love to read and take notes, got many buddies that one day will bring to the shop, but no wife around. He must really enjoy coffee bean because it’s the only thing I see him drink! His glasses on top of his nose makes him look even smarter than before… 

This man sends good vibes if I don’t see him at least once a day (whenever I’m working), my day isn’t accomplished. He gives me something, something familiar. His European side makes me think about Europe a lot more, maybe it’s just a feeling of being “home”, or it could just be a simple familiar face because he reminds me of my grandpa in some ways. 

There are people like that, that give some good vibes. Some are just a reminder of someone else, important or not. Some are just a familiar face who’s around to make you feel better because whenever they aren’t around, you feel lost! 

Across the street, there is Pickles and Swiss…. Best sandwiches ever! Can’t get enough of them! Don’t ask me why I prefer, each timeI try to get something new, and each time, I fall in love with the sandwich! At the end, I will end up loving everything on the menu cause I won’t be able to choose what I prefer. Since I’ve been working, Pickles and Swiss have been crowded with people, I even had to take my mum in at least once… That’s how addicted I am to the place, but it’s not only for the sandwiches or the soup that by the way are delicious! It’s about the people as well. When I say that British gentleman, old as he might be, he is a familiar face, my work day goes better when I see him… 

Well at Pickles and Swiss, there is also a person that intrigue my curiosity quite a bit! I go there often for the food obviously, but also to see that person. Each time, something makes me nervous, makes me want to know more about the guy. I don’t even know how to explain the feeling, but something pulls me to that person like a wanting to know more feeling! He is just a little too sweet and since I was starting to get over the fact that every guy I know is the same, this one came along once, helped me out with a sandwich choice and at that moment something hit me! Something big because I cannot stay away from that place whatsoever. All my tips are going to that place, and do not ask me why, it’s pulling me, making me want to come back each time. 

Whenever I don’t get to see his face, I’m lost as well. It is odd, but whenever I work, I have these faces that I need to see to get my work day be better! But this guy from Pickles and Swiss just intrigues me a lot more than anyone, something about him is interesting, different, and he honestly seems like the type of guy that get his heart broken many times cause he looks so sweet… Then again, appearances can be tricky! For all, I know he could be an ex-con who sold drugs and now on probation. Highly unlikely but we never know someone, and since I never really talked to him, I don’t know for sure! First steps are so difficult!

"You are a mystery to me, yet so familiar. Like a song I've never heard before, and a tune I've known my entire life." - Pavana

~Bella

Places I go...

I guess it is time for me to reveal where I started working a few weeks ago, not that it does matter, but I rather quite enjoy working there! It's not as stressful as it may seem...

Le Macaron, French pastries. Sweet place, amazing bosses, and to be fairly honest, the customers aren't half way bad! It's common to have the annoying ones, but not as many as you may think! 

I'm sure I'll have plenty stories to write about when I get more into the work, for now, it's being rather easy, already learned pretty much everything that I needed to know, obviously, there are still a few things that I need to check up and learn.
It's been nice to have some type of employment, somewhere I can also write whenever I'm alone and not busy!
Get a few conversations on with people that approach me for various reasons. The last one was a woman who was sitting down on little sofas, where I sit by in front of the GameStop. We were both on the phone, so instead of joining the little spot, I waited on both of our calls to end before I asked if I could sit down next to her. Nicely enough, she joked about the sofas being all of hers. Made me laugh quite a bit, and we started conversing. Got her card with her information, now I've got to text! She was really enjoyable to talk to, funny and intelligent! It changes from people I see around and talk to.

With this new little job, I need to become social, almost the opposite of what I usually do. Being talkative can be hard enough that I sometimes wish I didn't have to talk to customers. It makes me have a filter on what I should say and not say. Giving me the opportunity to grow up on the talkative side of me, letting me become a woman who knows when to not be honest in certain cases, just in case I don't hurt others in the process. Quite hard when you are used to be sarcastic enough to come out brutally honest. This little job as little as it may be helps me a lot more than anything before. I get to write whenever I have free time, I get to make customers smile at times, and the best part is that it actually helps me realize that I can get tips from not been too honest and smiling. It's the first time I'm actually going to work happy. There is even a British man who I see each time I work, sitting down with his book. Last time at work, I went to him with samples, offered him some macaron, and went on my way. He now looks at me through the door of the shop and says hello with= a wave of his hat. Making friends is always fun!

When people say, "Find a job that makes you smile by just waking up in the morning. A job that you enjoy doing every time you go." I think I discovered the pleasure of going to work, getting paid, making people smile, and waking up in the morning telling myself "It's going to be a good day!"
If you don't know me, you have to know I hate mornings, it's a nightmare to wake me up and emerge from my sleeping state. It's one of the rare times where I catch myself telling myself such a thing. I'm quite a negative person in general, and this time, I'm catching myself feel different about the situation!


Little plus of working is I get to wake up early so my mum drops me off at the same time as my brothers. I walk to a coffee shop and get that writing on! Getting that breakfast on as well, making myself eat a little before I have a long day at work. 

Going to work may be an enjoyable thing for me, but it's mostly for my mum that I do it all. She needs support, help, whatever she can get and honestly, it is hard to deal with but it's family... Can't just run away from duties!

"Working hard is important. But there is something that matters even more: Believing in yourself." - Harry Potter.

~Bella