Middle Child Complex

Most days it’s crowded. Echoey. Loud. The coffee is slow to come out and too hot to drink.  The person behind you steps on the heel of your boot and the screaming snot-nosed toddler bumps against the back of your legs. 

But sometimes, the coffee shop is perfect. 

Sometimes Coltrane is playing on vinyl while a miniature poodle and happy baby play together on the bright, tiled floor.  An old man reads the newspaper next to a pair of college students, textbooks and high-lighted planners sprawled out between them like maps.  A fashionable woman walks in and sparks inspiration instead of lust and envy and the couple holding hands across the table, sharing a single cup of espresso is the most hopeful sight you can imagine.