The Ostrich Café

Did it hurt you?

What? excuse me?

He didn't say anything just exit.

Of course, I was surprised by a man approaching my table in an empty coffee shop to ask me that question.

I couldn't do anything and nobody heard that, so I just drank my coffee, and acted like nothing happened.

But what the hell?

People are going insane these days!

You can never tell what the meaning behind the sentence or the action is!

He is the one who asked a question and left, yet I am the one who spends the last 20 minutes thinking about it.

Maybe he thought I was someone else, that is the reason for him going out so quickly.

People are very strange to me, however even I sometimes can't remember the past or if I do, I remember it in a sharp or backward way, even in a fragmented way that I can't rely on.

The cuckoo clock hits 2 a.m.

The only connection I had these days is with this younger than me waiter who looks older, but when I asked he told me he is twenty five, he tiredly smiled to me and said Do you want anything else? We are closing up?

No, just the check please

alright then.

His name is Aden I read it from his name tag once,

He gently handed me the check, I looked at it, that's when I saw hiding right under the bill, a picture of a boy who looked kind of familiar to me he looked so horrible, pale, starved like he had been beaten and...

Aden took the picture away and said sorry for my mistake, I put it there by accident.

I got curious and asked who is that?

He replied nothing, it's just... I mixed it up with the bill.

He looked uncomfortable and he gave me the none of your business look, so I thought I should not ask more.

I just shook my head, paid the bill and went out.

It's a rainy night with a mix of gloomy night, the type of night in a small town that nobody ever hears or thinks about, but I still live here, for some reason that I can't even recall why I still live here, maybe it's just a decision that I made before that I can't undo now.

I just remembered the boy again, the poor messed up boy in the picture, something in his eyes, misery in his face, black under eyes made me think of someone close. Yet, I'm sure the boy in the picture was not a real.

As I walk down the gloomy streets.

I couldn't help but wonder, then why I feel like I have seen him before?

Who is he? And why his picture is in this town?

Or maybe it's just an internet search? I don't know.

My shoes are wet I need to go home.

I woke up the next day, even though I live alone, I thought somebody was calling my name. I look around a bit but I'm alone.

I realized suddenly that I forgot to send a hard copy of an essay to a company far away from this town. They still have this condition to send writings by hard copy which is odd because everybody uses computer email now days.

I got up got dressed and moved. I was late and the deadline was almost over.

The post office is not very far from here, I'm sure if I run, I can get to it by the time they want to deliver the mails.

I was coming down the stairs when I fall very hard on my face, it hurt so bad that for some reasons I cried cry like a four year old baby. I thought to myself why there is nobody to help me? why nobody even cares if I get hurt or fall? It took me a minute, but I got up and ran again to not lose time. I finally get there, sweaty and out of breath and a little bit angry but at least,

I did it! I pushed the mail into the mailbox right on time.

As I was battling to breathe, I thought to myself, I should slowly walk towards the coffee shop I always get coffee from and my god I needed a place to sit down.

I was walking to this ghost like town and I kept touching my face, there is a big, swallowed bruise under my check bone, while I was in a deep pain I was also thinking how much I hate this town, how much I hate this silence, how much I hate the fact that there is no connection in this society, I am tired that I'm not included in anything and I am also tired that nobody gives a fuck about me.

Even since I was a child, I was never a fun girl to play with, I was just a girl who they had prejudice over, a girl with weird interests, living in her own fantasy world that nobody wanted to be a part of.

a girl that who is a snuck up judgmental boring bitch, who always ignores any type of closeness, love and reaction, a girl without a heart, a girl who is so cold that she needs to be punished with loneliness, ignorance, misery and pain for no aperient reason at all.

hah funny maybe I am living in the punishment world they created for me.

Yet, they are forgetting something, I used to be a very caring girl.

Even to this day if you search very deep you can find her again.

I used to be a girl full of love, but now I am not sure if she is still alive.

oh, never mind, I am just grumpy and miserable from this pain, I'm sure it will get better if I just sit and eat something.

As I was deep in my thoughts I realized I arrived at my favourite coffee shop the ostrich, which it's a strange coffee shop name why ostrich?

the coffee cups are all sized tall? the coffee shop is another branch of southern Africa coffee shop? there is an invisible ostrich that customers don't see and if they see they never forget?

I opened the door to the coffee shop and as usual it was empty.

I seat near the counter bar service I was waiting for Aden to come take my order and chat a little bit but another waiter came, didn't even look at me and Just asked coldly what do want?

I was surprised with this harsh behaviour and said um...just a latte please.

he didn't say anything and left.

Again, I was deep in my thoughts thinking why he acted like I was a beggar for coffee? actually that thought made me laugh a to myself little.

After couple of minutes, a women came into the shop she was wearing a black long coat with short and cute creamy colour boots which I was very thrilled to ask where did she get it from. She was waiting for the service and at the same time searching for something inside her purse when she saw my face and said oh did it hurt bad?

in a minute before I even say yes, I had a flash back of everything that happened last night

but I realized no! this is a different situation.

I said oh yeah, it was horrible, I slipped and fell right on my face when I was r...

she smiled in a sinister devilish way that it was so satisfying for her and said no I mean the other thing!

I replied w... what! excuse me!

I ran outside the shop. I can't take this anymore; something is happening here that I don't know what! something must be going on here I need to figure it out or I'm going to lose my mind!

Couple of months passed by I still can't bring myself to go to that ostrich coffee shop.

I spend my times alone wrap with a book, or two books in some days.

I also have not heard back from that company, maybe they saw my writing and didn't like it.

These days I'm more involved with feeding animals especially cats,

they are fast, forget easy, they live in the moment and they are cuddly if they want to be, So when I see a cuddly cat who only response to me and liked to be cuddled by me

I feel good,

I feel like I need their love as much as they need mine,

yet I can't help but wonder maybe being too in depended like cats is not good for you.

Another week past,

I went downstairs to throw away the garbage and see if there is any type of wildflower grown inside the ground, since it is the beginning of summer.

when suddenly I saw Aden who was staring at me from the other side of street like he has been waiting for me to come down.

I went over his side to say hi to him, maybe he wants to talk to me too.

It is funny how after not seeing him awhile I think he is kind of attractive, a beautiful blonde tall guy with green eyes and good shape.

I said hello Aden how are you?

I'm good,

why aren't you coming to coffee shop anymore?

he said it in a way like, it is my responsibility to drink coffee there every day and every week.

I just been busy...

doing what?

you know the same old job, I write some reviews for websites

aha

I said so, how have you been?

me? oh nothing the same old coffee shop too, he said with a sarcastic tone as for an imitation of my respond.

rapidly I said can I ask you something? I can't hold it any longer, I mean I tried, but I can't anymore.

I can't wrap my head around it, I think I'm going insane, I can't sleep, I can't eat, I feel horrible.

sure, tell me! he looked kind of worried.

The last two days I came to the shop was the most strange and intense feeling I got ever since I moved to this unknown city.

It's like everything has been happing in a circle for me, it's like I did something or something happened that I don't know but everybody else knows.

Especially people in the coffee shop.

I been constantly told does something hurt? or does something hurts bad? I don't know what they are referring to? I know it may sound crazy, but I feel like it is related to that picture you showed by mistake to me once, do you remember? do you know something about it?

I'm pretty sure I knew him from...somewhere...wait... this guy was you, wasn't it?

what happened?

Aden stared at me for a moment, then starts laughing, and said

oh, how I love this part.

What?

The part when you are all start asking questions.

I got chills and replied Adan what's going on? The picture...that was you, wasn't it? Please tell me, what is going on?

He becomes serious and his laugh fades away.

We both stand there and did not say anything for a while.

Finally he looked at me and said

Do you know what have you done to me? Do you have any idea? do you know you ruined my life?

I didn't say anything I just staired at him with wide eyes.

After a moment I said,

me ? no, that is impossible.

Aden smiled again and said

you always forget me.

He took a step back looked at my messed up hair and said don't worry, you will not remember this conversation too.

What?

Aden?

He laughed slowly as he got further away and said see you tomorrow.