Bulk

Being invited out gave him anxiety. He never knew what to expect from others. Some of these meetings introduced him to his favorite friends. Others, brought him face to face with the most fiendish of foes. The invitation was for tea so it couldn’t have been too dangerous.

The shop was tiny. He drove by it the first time. Upon doubling back, he observed the building. There was hardly anything in the way of decoration. A small, red sign held the name of the store. Everything else was bare. Normally, he would have assumed the business was recently bought. A blackboard on the sidewalk proudly announced that wasn’t the case. “your local tea tavern for 20 years!” it proclaimed. He laughed, it had been a quiet 20 years if this was the best their marketing could afford.

Stepping inside, he couldn’t say he was surprised. The group that had invited him dominated the space. It was only four of them, but the rest of the place was barren. Looking at his watch, he decided to wait to pass judgement. After all, it had just opened.

After the “how are you?!” and ritual hellos, the conversation turned silent. This was their first formal time out together. The four had barely known each other, making passing comments in class or saving seats for one another at events. Nothing more than common courtesy.

The tea arrived. All four had ordered something different. One swore by a tea she tried while studying abroad. Another, swore by a tea he had ordered that was from a fair trade company. The third, a tea an ex had shown her. He was worthless, she laughed, but he had great taste in tea she assured us. He stared at his cup. There was no reason for his choice. It was comfort at best. A tea he drank to reflect. The smell wasn’t alluring, the taste was bitter. However, there was always a knowing glance from the people he ordered it from. It was a lover’s tea, minus the lover. It warmed his soul until she came back to warm it in place of the drink. He saw the price written on the shelf behind the container.

“I’ll buy an ounce.”

He took another sip, the laughter of this random group lost in memories long gone.