On any given day in My Small Town, one can find a group of cronies having their regular breakfast together in any number of quaint coffee shops. From 2008-2010, I joined a Friday morning group of teachers who would mostly have teacher talk, but occasionally would cover events in our personal lives. We had a Queen Bee, and were content to be part of her hive, because she is such such a neat person; a truly great teacher, mother, and human being.
At the end of the school year in 2010, most of our breakfast group dispersed to other schools due the perfect storm of rezoning, a new administration, and simply being ready for the next big thing, myself included. I am very grateful for this push, because I had always wanted to work at My Small Town High School, and the circumstances were such that I was ready for a new challenge. I most certainly found it, in the best possible way.
Two days ago I got a text from the Queen, summoning our group to breakfast again. Because I am typically at My Small Town High School at 6:45, which is before our Friday morning breakfast even starts, I don't often get to meet the girls out to break bagels, home fries, and omelets.
This week I made an exception. I got to our Small Town Coffee Shop at 6:45. I told the Queen I was going to get there early and order, so that I could relax and enjoy everyone's company but then duck out at 7:30, which is exactly what I did. I parked at precisely the same time that a former colleague from yet another school parked. We walked in together, ordered coffee, and caught up on each other's life for a few minutes. It was really nice. A few minutes later the Queen walked in with her son, and I joined them at our table. I ordered and paid at the register so that when the time came, I could take my leave as unobtrusively-- and quickly-- as possible.
Patti, our regular waitress, served us. When I had walked in-- after I greeted one of my students and her parents and noticed the group of deputies looking me up and down in my dark denim skirt that hits above the knee, and adorable, fuschia-flowered cream-colored sleeveless blouse with a V-shaped ruffle and cute brown high-heeled sandals-- she put the usual question to me:
Hot or cold, Jen?
Back when I was a Friday morning regular, I typically started with coffee and took a huge ice-cold diet Pepsi to go. Today was no different. Hot, please. Diet Pepsi to go. The Queen told Patti about my blog, and I gave her one of my cute new business cards. Then I showed her the wicked cool scar on my forearm that was the result of a recent skin cancer removal. Patti, my friend told me it looks like a shark bite.
More like a snaggle-toothed shark bite from Our Small Town. She wasn't talking about the sharks in the ocean. Patti is very funny.... one of those excellent waitresses that remembers your regular order and how you take your coffee... She gives you a hard time and you love it.
I caught up-- just a little bit-- with my teacher friends from My Old Elementary School, and when the time came, jetted for work after getting my customary enormous diet Pepsi to go. We all committed to meet for breakfast at our Small Town Coffee Shop on the last Friday of each month. I hope we can stick to the plan. On Friday mornings I love to start out hot... and finish cold.
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