Tea

by Rhea D. The rain wouldn’t stop. It annoyed Lisa. The way it pounded on the thin roof of the Garnet Rose Coffeehouse, making a rattling noise. The way it filled the cracks in the sidewalk and sloshed into her sneakers as she walked to her car (and the way it brought back memories of a little girl with pink boots splashing in puddles). The way it meant she would be walking through it tomorrow, since her brother was borrowing her car so he could go to a concert, and she volunteered to cover the night shift at the coffeehouse, and the forecast promised storms the whole weekend. She pouted because her new fluffy socks would get soggy, because she wanted to take her dog for a walk, because her tomato plants would surely be flooded. Lisa was happy with her life. A boring and secure job. A cheap apartment. An adorable, slobbery Pug. She knew she was at a precipice. Soon she would cut off this mundane path, find some other purpose. Maybe go to school and find a profession she enjoyed. Discover some deep passion and move on. At that moment, though, she was content. So, she trudged to the coffeehouse after dinner on Friday, prepared to force a smile and bag scones and make drinks for whatever weirdos wanted caffeine at night. “Thanks so much for taking over,” Ali, her fellow employee, said. “My parents really needed the help tonight, and I seriously don’t know what I would’ve done without you. I can take your next shift if you’d—” “It’s fine,” Lisa interrupted her, vaguely fidgeting with the tip jar. Only three dollars were in it, so she added another ten. Just so it didn’t look empty and scare customers off. The place had a way of doing that already. It was jammed between two modern clothing stores, with a glowing open sign that would fit an ice cream shop better. The furniture was russet and overly plush, like you would expect a grandmother’s living room to look. Compared to other, more popular places, the Garnet Rose was unimpressive. Its super affordable prices saved it. “If you’re so sure…” Ali grabbed her purse and left, leaving Lisa alone with only her thoughts for company. Not a single customer. She opened her phone and scrolled through social media. Her somewhat estranged cousin had moved to Spain to fulfill his dreams of becoming a street performer. Her friend had broken up with their sixth boyfriend that month. A celebrity named his child after an exotic flower. Ching-ding-ring! The bell on the door chimed its usual, unusual melody, and a woman walked in. Lisa looked up in surprise. She had millions of dark braids frizzing in her hair, no doubt the fault of the humidity. She was short and wore a sweater that looked like the night sky with a dark stain. It hung loosely on her small frame, and Lisa immediately recognized the brand by the bronze insignia. She didn’t buy things that inexpensive, herself. Appearances held much value to her. She kept her blonde hair light, long, and glossy, and would never allow it to grow as oily as the stranger’s was. Her millions of freckles were always covered by a thick layer of makeup, after the teasing she received from her cousins about them. “What would you like?” she asked with little interest. “Um.” The woman’s eyes scanned the menu displayed above the counter. “Chai tea, please.” That was enough to make Lisa pause for a second. Across the street was a fancy tea bar. Why would someone go to a coffeehouse for their trashy tea? She internally shuddered. The only tea she would drink was one infused with a latte. “Name?” she asked. It didn’t really matter, the woman being the only customer, but it was typical. “Oh, uh, Nia.” The woman handed her the money—in the form of an actual two-dollar bill, who did that?—and walked away, sinking into one of the armchairs. The soft glow of the lamp on the table next to her illuminated her face, revealing the lilac shadows beneath her eyes and the tired lines etched into her bronze skin. Probably someone who works at night, needs a caffeine boost, Lisa guessed. Wait, does chai tea have caffeine? And wouldn’t she rest during the day? Whatever. Swallowing her own thoughts on the beverage, she got to work brewing the tea and adding the premade spice mix. It looked watery and murky and unappetizing, but when she announced it was done, Nia’s face lit up. “Thank you,” she said, heading back to her chair. Lisa had expected her to leave, like most people would have. Instead, she warmed her hands on the cup and sipped slowly, evidently savoring the flavor. A blend of substandard cloves, ginger, and cardamom filled the air. Looking content, she leaned back. Lisa shrugged. She was used to eccentric people. Ordering tea from a coffeehouse was weird, so maybe the customer just wanted something less expensive. Half an hour passed, with Nia sipping her tea, not in any rush. Lisa spent it texting her friend about a new movie (The trailer was filled with flowers and flying bunnies. She would have loved to see it), failing an online crossword puzzle (Three across: flavorless and from pigs. The answer key said it was “lard”, whatever that was) and ignoring spam calls from Alaska. Another fifteen minutes. Nia ordered another tea, paying with a five dollar bill this time and receiving change. Another half an hour. Lisa counted down the minutes until the shop closed. Another twenty minutes. Nia left. And not five minutes later, Lisa cleaned up, and closed the Garnet Rose Coffeehouse for the night. ❃ ❃ ❃ Nia soaked up the sunlight as she walked through the park. The grass was still damp, so she stuck to the path. Mondays were her only days free of work, and she was determined to spend them doing something she enjoyed. Annoyingly, she couldn’t get her parents out of her mind. She tried to tell herself that it was nothing more than paranoia, that she had taken the right steps in disguising herself. She knew she looked older than the usual seventeen-year-old, and she wanted to keep it that way. She tried to look confident as she strolled, like an adult who was going somewhere very important, and had very important purposes. Rather than a runaway who was just trying to live. At the start, she practically survived on oyster crackers. Because they didn’t cost much, were kinda salty, and why would she need any variety? She had gotten better at it, though. Now, she had a sort of nice apartment and a job answering calls for a company. Oh! And she discovered what she had been missing for years. Tea. Her parents were wealthy and had bought the most wonderful flavors. Bright lemon, cool mint, fruity combinations bursting with sweetness, and her favorite: spicy and warm chai, like melted gingerbread. After leaving, tea had hilariously been one of her biggest regrets. Just happening to spot the Garnet Rose Coffeehouse was pure luck. She wandered inside, hoping for anything to keep her awake all night. All she wanted was to study law, and the library was filled with excellent books for it. She couldn't check those out, not without a card. But she purchased some only slightly mangled ones from a garage sale and needed the time to read them. She hadn’t meant to spend four dollars on strange chai tea that night, but she had missed it so bad, and couldn’t it be okay to relax just for one night, even if she had to work the next day? Chai tea made her feel safe, and fuzzy, and like herbs and spices were hugging her, and nobody was hunting her. Startled, she was yanked from her thoughts as she realized her feet were determinedly taking back to the affordable coffeehouse. She didn’t resist. All that walking made her thirsty, and chai tea sounded delightful, as always. Even if the spices in this shop’s blend were a bit odd and mysterious. When she opened the door, the bell made a strange sound and she looked around. It was busier than it had been Friday night, with eight other people milling around. There was an unfamiliar barista filling a cup with frothy white milk, and a familiar cashier who greeted her monotonously. It was the clown from before, with the heavy makeup—really, it was too much to look at. All peach and pink and outlined. “What would you like?” The person—Nia squinted at her label; Lisa, that was her name—sounded like a robot. Judging by her fancy clothes, Lisa was probably some rich brat. Like how she could have turned out. “Chai tea,” Nia said automatically. She paid, and awkwardly stood around waiting for her drink to be done. All the seating spots were taken. “Hey, isn’t that the same sweater you wore Friday?” She nearly jumped, before smoothly saying, “I did the laundry yesterday.” She kept her voice calm and cold. Yes, it was the same sweater. In fact, it was her only sweater. And even if it was called an Indian summer, that October was still cold. She wasn’t going to wash it until Wednesday, when the temperature would apparently rise enough so she could go outside without it. “It has the same stain,” Lisa pointed out. Nia sighed. That stain was the reason she was never drinking coffee again. “It’s a coffee stain,” she explained. “It’s irritatingly stubborn.” “Ohhh. You know, laundry detergent usually works for me when that happens. I mean—” She paused, looking like she was trying hard not to either cry or giggle. “—it’s a nice sweater. Wouldn’t want it to be ruined.” I don’t own any laundry detergent. “Right.” Nia took her chai tea and fled the Garnet Rose Coffeehouse as quickly as she could. She knew she would return. ❃ ❃ ❃ Lisa noticed more than many people gave her credit for. After her second meeting with Nia at the Garnet Rose Coffeehouse, she came up with even more theories (it wasn’t being nosy! Just… curious!). Someone with a low income and an unhealthy addiction to chai tea was her best and most reasonable one. Any of them involving a circus, Hogwarts, a runaway, and a stolen train could probably be crossed off the list. Her imagination was having too much fun with this. Nia was a stranger. But. From the conversation they had about the sweater and the stain, she got the impression that Nia was younger than she’d first estimated. By how much, she wasn’t sure. Lisa had babysat (and volunteered) before, and found that while she hated that verb, being around younger kids was fun. Sure, Nia was likely a young adult or a teenager, but that didn’t stop her from seeing someone else when she met her sparkling green eyes. A much younger girl. A girl who had looked forward to her tenth birthday party. A girl who never got the party or the tenth birthday. A girl who dumped heaps of sugar into her caffeine-free, wild strawberry tea. Lisa tried to shake off the thoughts of the emerald-eyed girl with an interest in baking (her sister. Almost.). She just couldn’t. That girl (Jaz) was the reason she quit volunteering. Playing with sick (terminally ill) kids was enjoyable. But, in the end, the pain was worse than the joy. On her way to work Thursday morning, Lisa stopped by the nearby tea bar. She bought two tins of five-star tea leaves. One was what she planned to get. Sapid, strong, highest quality chai. And the other was more impulsive. Sweet, sweet, sweet wild strawberry. She told Ali and Ben, the ones she was working with that day, who to give the chai tea tin to. Just in case Lisa missed her. That evening, she sipped the tea she never liked much, without any coffee and with lots of sugar. She wondered if Nia was doing the same. Without her hands busy with her phone or a task, her mind wandered back to Jasmine. It was five years ago. She’d known Jaz for four years before her death. It came earlier than expected. Everyone knew she wouldn’t get to become a teenager. Her heart failed too soon. Somehow, even though it was filled with so much joy and kindness, it still failed. She had a younger brother, a toddler who was confused and looked for his sister at the hospital. She didn’t get to be at home in her bedroom, like she wanted. At least the funeral was the way she planned. Lisa helped her find the things she desired. Strawberry shortcake would be served. Her favorite songs would play. She chose every detail, right down to the color of the casket. Was it better, knowing your death was coming and being able to organize it all? But Jaz had seemed so scared on the last day… Lisa swallowed the lump in her throat, washing it down with the sugary tea. It made her think of picking strawberries on a sunny, summery, and fun day. It was a comfort. ❃ ❃ ❃ “I’m definitely meant to give it to you,” the worker insisted. Nia gave up and took the tin from him. She left the Garnet Rose Coffeehouse without ordering a thing, but still clutching lots of tea. It was not how she expected her day to go.

Still. The tea looked totally amazing. And the spicy smell wafted out of it when she cracked the lid open. She was hit by a wave of recognition, and just for a flash of a moment, she was back home. In the lounge, sitting in her usual place on the olive couch. Watching the cooking show and arguing with her mom over the superiority of margarine over butter. With a chipped mug in front of her. Then that flash of a moment was gone, and she was in her shabby apartment, heating up water.

Someone—no, that cashier! That cashier—stranger, really—who had looked at her weirdly. That stranger who had bought her expensive tea when she was just another customer. It must have been a random act of kindness. Right? Though, it appeared more personal. And personal likely involved pity.

Well, if it was pity, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to drink the tea. That would be like throwing away gold. Without any honey, she prepared the drink in a normal glass (a mug would be a good purchase). The first mouthful warmed her so utterly and completely. She could feel it leaving trails of heat as it ran down her throat, like she swallowed a little bit of seasoned sunlight. It prompted her to turn on her phone.

Maybe her parents weren’t looking for her. Maybe nobody noticed she was missing. She missed them. Her family, her friends. Maybe it was time to face them again. She opened up a new message and began to type.

Hey. Got some new tea and it made me think of you…

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Rhea is a middle school student who is obsessed with reading and loves to write, ski, snowboard, and climb things—and drink tea. She is currently working on publishing the first book in a series she co-wrote with her friend.