AIK: Chapter 5 - Where Everyone Kinda Knows Your Name
- Henry Livingston
- Apr 10
- 5 min read
Spring comes to a busy Mermaid Stars coffee house at another start of the work week, this one seeming more promising than the last. The long line with little time reminds most to think of other morning routines after a weekend of partying, but that thought process will repeat again next week about this time.
“Why are we here?” Ellie whispered.
“Why are you whispering, no one can here you?” Alice returns under her breath.
“We have better tasting coffee in the cupboard at the house and it is free.”
“Wasn’t free Ellie.”
“You are not charged for it when you make it, correct?”
“Correct.”
“So, free.”
Glancing at the folks around her, she lowers her voice a little more, “I had to pay for it at the grocery store.”
“Oh yeah,” Ellie smiles.
“Now stop making me look like a crazy person that talks to themself like that kid Brick from The Middle.”
“Lukewarm coffee for Aleece!”
Reaching for her drink order and struggling to read the young lady’s nametag that clearly reads Courtney, Alice comes back quickly with her response to her name being pronounced incorrectly, “How hard is it to say Alice correctly, Court-Naay.”
“Apologies Ma’am, this isn’t your drink.”
A woman excuses herself to gain access to the counter, “I’m Aleece.”
“Here is your drink Aleece, and yours too, Alice.”
Without looking back at the barista, Alice simply nods repeatedly and offers a low, sad, apologetic response, “thanks, Courtney.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to point out that you are perfectly capable of making yourself look like a crazy person,” Ellie pipes up with zest.
Alice is silent and once she is in her car she exhales heavily.
“That was painful to watch Alice, was it painful for you too?”
Alice says silent, simply staring at the people entering and exiting the coffeeshop.
“Let me guess,” Ellie says with clarity, “we can’t come back to this Mermaid Stars either.”
After taking a sip of her coffee and regaining her composure Alice says with regret, “Yep.”
“That is six in six weeks, I think you have a drinking problem.”
“I don’t have a drinking problem, Ellie. I just don’t like to show my face in places that I let my weirdness get the best of me.”
“Like assuming that all the names are your name incorrectly pronounced?”
“Yes, AND by the way, not every time.”
“Let’s recount!”
“Let’s not.”
“The first time it was Alex, then Alessa, Alisa, Alizée…”
“Hey,” Alice interrupts, “the barista messed her name up too.”
“Isn’t that a French-sounding alcoholic drink?”
“I believe it is.”
“Wait there are two more!”
“I think we’re good E.”
“No, I specifically remember a Alicia, and Anya.”
“I grabbed it because it had an A at the beginning of the name. In all fairness I was in a huge rush because of my dentist appointment that morning.”
“Lastly we have, Aleece. What are the odds of two people ordering a lukewarm americano?”
“Wait, what did you just say?”
“Which part?”
“The last part”
“Lukewarm americano?”
“Dammit!”
“Sorry…?”
“That wasn’t for you Ellie. Courtney said lukewarm coffee, not americano.”
“Yeah, I know. But, you Karen’d her anyway. Good job.”
Alice is silent.
“So, even though you were wrong, we still can’t return here ever again.”
Alice starts the car, “Good thing there are three other locations from here to the house,” she begins to drive.
As they head down the road Ellie inserts, “Yep, three more times to get your name wrong.”
“Sadly, this is my reality.”
“I think your reality is way different than you realize.”
“Only when I am rooted.”
“Which is more often than not.”
Alice takes another sip of her coffee, “Ugh, this is horrible. I need to stop by The Kava Spot and get a better cup of joe,” her stomach growls. “and something to eat.”
“What was that noise?”
“My stomach.”
“Don’t be silly Alice, stomachs don’t talk.”
“But tattoos do? Some too much.”
“You know other tattoos that talk?”
“Nope.”
Alice’s stomach gurgles a little more.
“If that is your stomach again, it sounds angry.”
“Yeah, it is kinda. Haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.”
“Oh, I am unsure what to say here,” Ellie thinks about it a few seconds more, “Yes I do - Are we there yet?”
“Don’t make me turn this car around.”
“I thought you didn’t want to go to that coffeeshop again.”
“Ellie…”
“Yes.”
“Shut up.”
The Usual Suspects
Alice enters The Kava Spot Bar & Grill desperate for a burger and fries and a delicious Kava Colada. She sees the bar is busier than normal for this time of day and seating is limited. As she makes her way to a seat she is met by the regulars, exchanging hugs and hellos as she walks though.
Prior to entering the establishment Alice asks Ellie if she can remember the names of the regulars and the little tattoo nods, “I’m pretty sure I got them down. I will call them out as they eclipse and grip your body.”
“Those are hugs.”
“And eclipses. I wish you could see it from my point of view. It is like numerous baby eclipses in the span of five minutes when you do it.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Would not be too bad if you did it only once, but you do it again when you leave.”
“Again, my bad. Just stick to the task at hand.”
“I will name all the names.”
Alice grips the door handle to The Kava Spot, “okay, here we go.”
The first of the regulars is a group of ladies and Ellie opens with their names, “They are The Tri-Bees. Umm… This-Bee, That-Bee, So-Bee and He-Bee. How are they called the…”
Alice receives the first of four hugs.
“…Tri-bees…”
Second hug.
“…if there…”
Third hug.
“…are four…
Fourth hug.
“…of them?” Ellie sighs, “this is going to be a long five minutes.”
A loud booming voice erupts from the bar in unison with one of the big screen televisions in the background, “Its not about the open, its how you play the game. Best catch phrase in Jacksonville ever!”
“That loud man at the bar is Chester Sixx from that Netflix show, House of Chess. Actor, influencer, and entrepreneur. Funny, I have watched his shows with you, but he is never seen actually playing chess. He just talks about it. It is a pretty good action drama though.”
“AL-Ice!”
“Hey, Chessix.”
“Ask him if he knows how…”
[HUG]
“…to play chess?”
Alice smiles, “loved your last episode. That final scene was chaotic!”
“I want to say it is our best one yet.”
Ellie rolls her little tattoo eyes, “GG, Chester Sixx.”
Alice leans on the bar, “Wassup, Mojo.”
“You want your regular order, you barbeque bacon hunter burger with cheddar cheese and a side of fries, right?”
“Yessir. Oh, and a Kava Colada.”
“I got you, mami.”
“Next up, Mojo. Model turned kavatender. He is dreamy. Why did he give up a career in modeling to become a guy serving drinks? Still don’t get that,” she pauses and licks her lips, “My mouth is dry…but I like his hairy chest.”
“Whispering to Ellie, “me too.”
“Hey, remember the crazy person thing from earlier? Let me do this with radio silence please.”
Alice gives a thumbs up.
[HUG]
“Your Kava Colada, mami. Sorry for the surprise hug.”
“No worries, Mojo.”
Ellie smiles, “He smells nice too.”
“Ellie, FOCUS!”
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