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Ms. Anne Thrope sent a text Tuesday afternoon: “7 PM tonight my house team meeting. Regular shifts tomorrow.” Her style of texting differed from her in-person speech. She had not communicated with us since she closed the shop because of her friend’s memorial service.
I showed up exactly at 7. Strawberry Mkrtchyan was already there. No one else came. She offered food and drink before beginning her agenda.
“I’m sorry for the late notice,” Ms. Anne said. “I’m glad that you both were able to come tonight. I’ve stayed home and grieved my friend’s death, and it is time to open the shop again. I put an announcement on East Coast Radio and the website. I’ll have an email announcement sent later tonight.”
“That’s understandable, Ms. Anne,” I said. “Deaths can hit hard.”
“We’ll do whatever is necessary,” said Strawberry. “I’ve heard from some friends how much they miss the coffee club.
“That’s good to hear. What I really want you to know is this: I’m going to be in and out over the next few weeks, and I want the coffee shop to operate as usual.” She held up one finger as if to warn us not to interrupt because I was ready to blurt out something.
“When I say that I’m going to be in and out, I mean that I may be gone for as long as two hours at a time. I’ve decided that I need to do some grief counseling, not just because of my friend, but because too many others died in the last year and they were all younger than I am. Or maybe my age. I’ve felt frozen by those deaths and the pandemic hasn’t helped me or anybody else. I haven’t paid attention to anything going on around me. It’s time to move out of this emotional state. I know that I could have sent you an email to say that we would return to regular schedule tomorrow, but I wanted to tell you face to face.
“When we open, we will continue to wear masks and expect customers to wear face coverings. We will remind people of other expectations, especially my rule about not making personal attacks. But remember that I will be in and out. When I’m out, one of you will be in charge. I trust you to make right decisions. The coffee shop means a lot to me, but it isn’t everything. Our relationships are. That’s all I have to say.”
Wednesday morning we opened at the regular time. So far all seems OK. Ms. Anne left the shop Friday morning around 9:30 and returned around 11:15. That time’s slower for customers than the early morning and lunch crowds. When she returned, she put on her apron and began more prep work at the grill. I’m guessing that she went for counseling, but she didn’t say.
I think everything will be OK.