the object of my affection, part 2

just as a warning, this is a relatively long story leading to a very short (but joyous) event.

i'm convinced that in order for anyone to have any connection to a city, one must have their spot. it doesn't matter what the place it, but it's the place they go to without thinking, whether it be a store, a restaurant, a grocery store or in my case, a coffeeshop.

i'm not sure why i feel such a connection to this coffeeshop, maybe because it shares a name with my last home, a place that i recall with complete and utter happiness. maybe because it opened its doors right around the time i moved to town, thus we share the same residence time here in rochester. maybe it's because it has had its share of adversity as have i, even though the truck that hit me was only in a proverbial sense. maybe because it's a five minute bike ride from my house. or maybe, just maybe, it's because of the really cute guy that has worked there ever since the beginning. why don't we call him EC (for eye candy)

from my first time in the coffeeshop, i noticed EC, so cute and cool behind both his thick brown beard and the wooden bar covered in locally baked delectables. serving each customer with ease and a smile, he was someone i looked forward to seeing, someone whom i immediately had a crush on but i realized would serve only a passing role in my life. so that if my life were ever turned in to a movie, the guy who played his role probably wouldn't even be in the credits. but he was there nonetheless, brightening that part of my day that would otherwise be occupied solely by the glumness of studying.

i took a break from my coffeeshop for a few months this past winter for many reasons; the guy i had been dating was also a regular there and i wanted to avoid as much as humanly possible the awkward run-in (although it did happen once and because it was so packed, we were forced to share a table). also, they put in new doors after the aforementioned truck ran into the front of it and those things were damn drafty. so if it was 20degrees outside, it was only a smidgen warmer inside and, it turns out, my southern-raised brain doesn't really function in the frigidity. but also a contributing reason was that he wasn't there any more. when i did drop by to study for a few hours, he was never there. sure, the people who worked there were always nice and polite but there was something about him. so when he wasn't there, neither was i. i just figured my timing was off, that he was working different shifts than he used to, and it wasn't that big of a deal, i knew that in due time, i would find another anonymous crush to never say anything of substance to.

that changed a bit once i started studying for the boards. i started going back to my coffeeshop, more than ever in fact. and he reappeared, one morning, yawning unabashedly and saying that he just started working mornings again, something i truly understood. so we would exchange pleasantries, i would revel in his cuteness and then scuttle off to my table to immerse myself in cytokines or whatever the topic of the day was.

but today, things were a little bit different. instead of working behind the bar this morning, he was playing a gig out back on the patio. i saw the signs so i planned to take a study break and listen to him play for a little while. like a true townie, he isn't just an employee at the local coffeeshop, he's also an artist, a musician trying to make it. i love that, it takes me back to my days working at clocked! in downtown athens, with all the townies trying to make ends meet while they chased their dream of musical...what? fame? fortune? or was it just the process that mattered? anyway, i could go on for awhile, but the fact remains that EC also sings and plays the guitar. and while i had heard tell of him playing around town, i had never actually heard him play before today. i'm not sure why, i love listening to local music and i clearly would look at EC all day if i had my druthers. maybe because i didn't want to ruin the facade of his perfection. because if wasn't a good singer or musician, what would become of my goal-less and yet important crush?

but i faced that challenge today, and let me tell you, EC is more than just eye candy. the boy is talented. he has an amazing voice, one that covers octaves and emotions with ease. he sat there, on the second landing of the stairs leading to the upstairs apartment, with his aviator shades, his guitar and his magic hat no. 9 and he bared his soul. it was beautiful. i listened to the first set with a smattering of other people on the back patio, feeling amazed to be in such a setting with EC. but then he took a break, i realized it was almost 2:00 and i had to get back to studying. so sadly, i missed the 2nd set.

anyway, this all leads up to what happened later in the evening. as a part of the jazz fest, rusted root was playing a free show outdoors at east and alexander so a bunch of us took our bikes and went. and it was packed. i went to toots and the maytals last night and i thought it was crowded, but there were easily three times as many people (including some kids from penfield's ultimate team) there tonight. so as we were making our way closer to the stage, fighting our way through the huddled masses, who should i see from across the distance but EC...what are the odds? and before i knew it, there he was in front of me, smiling and saying, "hey, how ya doin?" and in my infinite wit and coolness, all i managed to mutter was a very awkward "hi."

story of my life. i actually get acknowledged by someone i've had a crush on for nearly two years, and all i manage to do is croak out "hi." i'm sure that left an impression.

but let's focus on the positive. he recognized me! he acknowledged me! and while i'm sure he doesn't actually know my name or anything about me other than that i'm a medical student who likes to ride her bike, i'm still in his realm.

wow, i'm still reveling. those five little syllables uttered from his lips have pretty much made my night. it's a wonderful thing to be easily amused and an active imagination.