mystery man: part II

i'd already been in the coffee shop for several hours. catching up with a good friend first thing this morning, then working on polishing a (still ongoing) translation. all of it interspersed with brief minglings with several baristas.

long after i'd finished my hot chocolate and only shortly after i'd grabbed a sandwich and rice krispies square, one of the baristas -- whom i'd yet to mingle with today but otherwise know well (y'know, as much as a coffee shop regular might know a barista) -- walks over and, smilingly though quite tentatively, says:

hey there. i was instructed to deliver this to Trish. i don't really know anything else about it. but...you are Trish, right?

then, before returning to her post, she hands over a small, gauzy, light-blue bag. inside it are a scroll, with a long and thoughtful hand-written note in it, and a long thin box containing six chocolate truffles.

*insert long pause for general giddiness, notably featuring beet-red blushing*

truth be told, i know the identity of the man who sent the bag. but the mystery surrounding him (how'd he get the bag here? where'd he learn to be so considerate? how've i managed to be on the receiving end of such gestures? how do i encourage more of this behaviour?) remains.

and now back to translating...

mystery man

first thing this morning, i'm tucked into my favourite neighbourhood coffee shop, seated at one of the round tables by the window. as i'm about to indulge in the first sips from my very tall mug of hot chocolate and resume a literary translation side project, a very tall thirtysomething man (in loose jogging pants, with his toque snugly in place around his ears, and seemingly having just tumbled out of bed) walks over, leans down towards me and, in a soft voice, says: i see you already have a hot chocolate. but, just so you know, i've paid for another one for you. Gracie says you can claim it later today or even another day this week. 

then, after a brief pause, he continues: i know you have a lot of work to do, so i'll let you get back to that now. 

and, with that, and a warm gentle smile, he steps away from my round table, walks out the door, and heads off through the park and into the distance.

and now back to translating...