Judith (2) is written by Alicia E. Goranson and read by Dee Arbacauskas.
Transcript:
Judith began her evening wondering why she never got coffee anymore. First off was the obvious. Her face. But with the invention of the modern phone, and its many, many delivery apps, she no longer had an excuse. Of course, using a phone was dangerous for someone as paranoid as her job made her be. But Aaralyn had left the phone on her nightstand to be used. As was a bit of cash someone had sent her Venmo account six months ago. Yes, Judith thought to herself. This night, I will get a coffee.
Of course, none of the coffee shops were open except for Denny’s. At this time of night when her blood was pumping and she hadn’t yet looked at all the jobs Aaralyn had waiting for her, her world was her oyster. It was time to re-engage with the bean, as she once had at the turn of the century. (No, the turn before that one.) Coffee had been the rage with all strata of classes. Light diluted coffees by the news stands, thick African coffees with a purposeful amount of sludge at the bottom, or exciting gourmet coffees of dubious origins, each with a story about how they were brewed in the ritzier parts of town. They were nothing like the moderate, temperate coffees from dried grounds or fresh crushed beans of today. Coffee had been with Judith every night, back when she knew a gal who didn’t mind her face and was exceedingly proud of her house blends.
That night, Judith opened the delivery app and confirmed that the only thing that served coffee was the Denny’s and, if she was feeling brave, the dumpsters behind every Starbucks in the city. With trepidation, she ordered a very large cup and a plate of fries to push the delivery price over the minimum fifteen dollars. The fries would, of course, go straight to the can for the rats and crows to fight over…. to share! Share together. Judith was a bitch whose cynical nature would make even Sylvia Plath’s nose wrinkle, but something inside her wanted the creatures of the night and gutter to support one another as clearly no one else was.
Bing-bong. The delivery driver had read the obnoxiously long list of directions that Judith had left to help them find her place, a Mother-in-Law sublet which did not want to be found. Judith opened her door and there, among the rosemary, sage, and other herbs in her garden, lay the oily paper bag and cardboard cup holder, capable of securing four cups but only containing one. Judith lifted the cup of ancient coffee, brewed who knows how long ago and left to sit for the entire night, and put it to her lips. She drank it down, warm and bitter, and reminded herself once more why she never got coffee, before chucking the bag and cup into the neighbor’s trash, and then preparing herself for the grim tasks of her day.
-END-
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