Unknown Memories

Chapter 3

You bowed politely as the customer snatched the coffee from your hand, with no more than a grunt of ungratefulness. The bitter smell of coffee beans filled your nostrils and the taste of your hastily eaten lunch lingered in your mouth. The sounds of chattering customers was mostly drowned out by the machines next to you behind the counter. 

There was some good news and some not-so-good news. The good news was that you got the job! The not-so-good news was that the customers were ruder than you could have ever imagined. You were a part-time barista at a coffee shop in the centre of town. It was a decent pay - you could contribute your third of the rent and pay for basic amenities, at least - but if it were up to you, you would simply be working on some art commissions. It was not all bad, you admitted. You got an employee discount so, lunch was never a problem, and it was better than being unemployed. Sometimes, if it was a slow day, you were able to let your creativity flow and create interesting, and some borderline disastrous, concoctions. It helped relieve that creative itch for a little longer.

You had not had an "incident" for a while; not since that cryptic dream a few weeks back. Though, ironically, the restaurant where all of that had started was opposite your workplace. Although, it was mostly out of your mind, it was an almost constant reminder of that day and the weird dream. 

The customer count was pretty low for now, but your eyes would keep peeking at the clock, knowing full-well that there would be a rush any time soon. While you waited, you took a peek at your phone - despite it being against the rules - besides, you didn't have anything better to do since you were already prepared for the rush.

As you peered at the notifications at the top of the screen you felt the strange feeling come back and your heart almost skipped a beat. A message from a number you did not recognise with the name of someone you did not know had appeared. Your first thought was that it could be a scam text - someone hoping to exploit unsuspecting people for their own gain - but the contents just seemed to be a pleasant greeting. 

However, when you tapped it, intending to read all of it, there was...nothing there. It simply sent you to a blank conversation with someone named "Unknown". This wasn't the first time this had happened. You could vaguely recall back a few years ago - back when you were a new student - you received a series of encrypted texts that didn't make sense at all. Now that you thought about it, you realised that that was a very odd and unsafe scenario. You were surprised by how easily you had put that out of your mind. The last thing you remember from that time was finding a single note with the word "Goodbye" written on it. The thought of it made you shudder with unease - you never did find out why that was there, or who even wrote it.

You put that thought away quickly when your manager arrived through the "staff only" doors, tucking your phone into the apron pocket just in time. This was usually a sign that rush hour was approaching. You and your co-workers readied yourselves -  both physically and mentally - awaiting the arrival of the customers. Despite it being called a "rush", the flow of customers began fairly low. Although, the number of people entering the shop quickly rose every minute.

Since you had been working there for almost two weeks now you had mostly gotten into the flow of taking orders, writing the customer's name on the cup, preparing the drink or snack, or working the cash machine at any given time. Though, it was far from being a well-oiled machine. It was clear that you were the weakest link by far, due to your lack of experience. Your manager had been very lenient considering you were the newest, but you knew it wouldn't be long before that would not be a valid excuse anymore. You wanted to challenge yourself this time and prove to your manager that you could be as good as your co-workers. This was your first shot at living in the adult world and you did not want to ruin that just less than two weeks in.