Page 10: Bitter Coffee

I wasn't really craving coffee, but here I was sitting in a cafe. It was a simple place with minimal decorations. Besides Valler and me, there were three other customers sitting at tables. Even though it was three in the afternoon and the weather was warm, I could imagine how cozy it would be to sit here and watch the street outside on a rainy day. Sometimes, when you're feeling down, these little things feel extra comforting.

As I was picturing the sunny street outside on a rainy day, Valler sat down opposite me and placed a cup of coffee in front of me, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I usually come here in the evening to have a coffee before heading to Alcano."

"Is this Alcano place special?" I asked.

"Haven't you heard of it? It's pretty famous, well, not super famous, but most people around here know about it. It's the village where I was born. Back then, it was just a name, a simple village. But thanks to a few people's big projects, it's turned into a tourist village. Let me show you some pictures."

He pulled out his phone and quickly showed me a few pictures. The houses, streets, walls, and windows were all so similar to the Italian neighborhoods I've seen in photos and movies. Just looking at these pictures gave me a strange feeling. It was like my soul wanted to force itself into the photo.

Valler excitedly showed me the pictures, and I just stared in amazement. To break the silence, I said," These don't look real at all!"

"I'm not lying. The photos are unfiltered. I took them with my phone."

"No, no, I don't mean they're fake. It's just strange to me that such beauty exists in this world."

"Oh..." It was clear he didn't know what to say. My mind couldn't see those seemingly real photos as anything more than a painting, a creation of someone's mind. My mind couldn't accept that such beautiful places could exist in this world that could give you a sense of freedom.

After a while, Valler put his phone down and took a sip of his coffee. Then I started drinking too. It was as bitter as I expected, but the beauty of coffee is its bitterness. They say coffee keeps you energized and helps you stay awake longer. But what about people who drink coffee at three in the afternoon while chatting and laughing?

I know it's a bit strange, but those were the thoughts running through my head at that moment. I wanted to find an answer other than just enjoying a coffee.

Suddenly, Valler's phone rang. It was a pop song by a female singer! It was so loud that even the other customers could hear it. Embarrassed, he quickly put his coffee down and answered the phone. Some of the coffee spilled onto the table.

"Hey babe!... I'm good, how are you?... No, I haven't gotten any passengers. But I did run into an old friend!" He smirked and glanced at me. I was busy drinking my coffee and could hear Waller's conversation perfectly. The way he was talking, it sounded like he was talking to his girlfriend or something. He actually had a girlfriend? I never thought a guy like him, who was mostly quiet and sat in the corner of the class, could have a girlfriend. And here I am, at his age, with just casual friendships with girls. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little jealous.

"... Yeah, I'll be careful. Don't worry about Tara. Bye."

Valler finally ended the call and put his phone down. He apologized to me and said, "So, about that. You can stay at my apartment tonight, but... what about tomorrow?"

I wasn't as worried about tomorrow as I was about today. My plan was to just get through tonight and start looking for a job tomorrow. Any job would do, as long as I could make enough money to have a simple life. But could things really get any better than this?

I reluctantly replied, 'I'll probably look for a job after that.'

'Oh, I see. If you want, you can stay at my place until you find a job and can afford to rent a place. Don't be shy, make yourself at home!'

It was the best offer I could have imagined. In that moment, I realized how kind Valler was. I had never been able to say that about anyone so confidently during our school days. I thanked him, along with a few other polite phrases, and finished my bitter coffee with a sweet feeling.

After drinking our coffee, we started talking. About different things, like politics and our past. Of course, I made sure not to mention anything about prison. I did most of the asking because I wanted to know more about Valler and also avoid any topics that I didn't want to discuss.

After a while, my energy to stay at his place started to fade. I was slowly turning back into the depressed Ryan I had been for the past three years. I couldn't believe how quickly I had come out of my depression.

When I felt tired and had nothing else to say, my eyes fell on Valler's phone, and I suddenly remembered my own. I knew it was dead, but I took it out of my pocket and said, 'Do you know how to unlock this phone...'

Damn it. After all that talking, I thought this would be a normal, simple question. Not knowing the password to a phone can mean two things: either you haven't used your phone for a long time and forgot the password, or it's a stolen phone and you don't know the password to unlock it. I hadn't even considered that both meanings could apply to me. However, he was curious, 'Did something happen? Did you forget your password?'

I tried to change what I said, even if it was illogical, to give it a different meaning, 'I meant the battery. It's dead and I don't have a charger.'

'Okay, I think I have a charger at home that might fit your phone. Speaking of which, I think it's time to go. You look really tired.'

Yeah, well, anyone who looked at my eyes would think that first. I put my phone back in my pocket. I wasn't going to find my password anytime soon. I wasn't going to find out if anyone still cared about me in this city.