He thought of himself as a Bohemian at heart...

He thought of himself as a Bohemian at heart, but he was really just a corporate sell-out.  Mark’s business had started about 5 years earlier, and as he walked into his shack of a house he pondered what he could have done differently.  He looked at the fire as he plopped down in his beanbag chair.  As he fell a few beans popped up from around him and one of them flew into the fire.

“Score,” he muttered under his breath.  He loved his Bohemian life.  He began to wonder if he had even done anything wrong with his business.  “Maybe I was supposed to sell out so I could go back to my roots, and find better business prospects.  Take today for example!  I loved today.”

It had been a good day.  He started with his barefoot run through the woods, and he had only stubbed a toe once, a remarkable feat that anyone who’s run barefoot will understand.  After his run he skipped taking a shower.  “Shower’s are for rich people” he thought.  Besides, he didn’t have a shower in his shack.  Usually he just snuck into a neighbor’s yard and used their hose.  He’d only been caught once and the thrill of it made him want to do it more, but today was no day for showers.  Instead it was a day to visit the coffee shop.  He had seen a pretty girl there the week before and had been everyday since.  He felt justified in not showering because she was also un-showered the first time he met her.  He remembered because that’s what they talked about.

“I hate getting wet”, she remarked.

“Me too.”

It was probably the most magical conversation he’d ever had.  He thought about that conversation as he walked up to the coffee shop door.  His heart skipped a beat as he saw her.  It was his lucky day.  What was she doing behind the counter?  He smoothly walked in and began to run his hair through his fingers, but his middle finger got caught on the baby dread that was forming near his ear.  He looked at her and pulled his finger out of the dread just in time to wave hello.

“Smooth” he thought. She didn’t see and we’re off to a good start.  He got in line, bought his coffee, and started a conversation with her about business.

“Why are you behind the counter.”

“I just got a job here.”  She replied.

The conversation went smoothly.  He even got her number at the end.  And as he left he realized that while his original business was a sell-out, he could try again.  She had inspired him to start his own coffee shop, a business that would match with his bohemian heart, yet mathematical brain.

-Liz Young