Regulars

This morning I graded papers by the fire at Dunn Bros. They've installed new seating along the window that faces Lake Street, and both of the baristas were new, but I still saw a few of the regulars I've been seeing for the past two and a half years I've been frequenting this coffee shop.

There's the twitchy bald guy with the beanie, who looks kind of like my landlord and smokes just outside the window so he can watch his stuff. There's the older man in the earflap hat, with the crinkly white hair and beard, who brings in small bags and a dog eared journal, but spends hours slowly tearing up the newspaper. And there's the couple who wears almost entirely black and looks so much alike that when I first saw them I wasn't sure if they were partners or siblings. The second year, she got pregnant, and today, their baby was smiling at me and talking. Well, sort of talking.

I think some of the regulars must recognize me, too, although I only know a few names. For all the looking I do from behind my own face, it only occasionally occurs to me that the mirror goes both ways. I tried to imagine today how the others might categorize me. "The student," since I'm generally surrounded by piles of papers and/or books? "The biker," since I often set my helmet (and gloves/balaclava, etc. on days like today) beside me as I work? "The cheapskate," since I sometimes bring in my own baked goods or fruit? (Today a fellow biker sitting beside me busted out a Tupperware of Cheerios and milk!) Or what if I'm "The unhappy one," since if I'm often under pressure to accomplish--frequently unpleasant--tasks while I'm there, like grading?

I do not know. It's so hard to judge these things. At times I've decided I must be the "Cute-ish, probably desperate girl," since boys have taken it upon themselves to flirt with me. I decided the reason was that if I was at a table by myself with my computer and my books on the weekend, I must be single. In fact, I wasn't, though since I have been again, I've been hit on less (though I'm also spending far fewer weekends there).