The Smoothie and the Saab

For today’s “Guess where I am,” I’ll give you a little hint: I’m still in SE Portland.  I decided this afternoon to venture to a nearby coffee shop.  On my way there I spotted a cute little “cafe” that I had been wanting to check out.  I thought to myself, “Why not today?” So I sauntered on in and perused the menu.  It isn’t a coffee shop, although they do sell small cups of Stumptown Coffee (I’m guessing they don’t sell much of it).  As I stood there deciding what to try, the two gals behind the counter, both with long dark hair, that was not pulled back by the way, asked if I had any questions.  I had a few.  My first one’s were about some ingredients I didn’t recognize.  The menu had a smoothie that contained Maca as one of its key ingredients.  The shorter of the two gals, both dressed in head to toe black, explained to me that it is a natural energy booster.  Out of curiosity I looked it up in Google where I found it described as Peru’s natural viagra.  She failed to leave out that small detail! 

I finally decided on a smoothie containing spinach, kale, pineapple and some other stuff I don’t remember.  It’s expensive price made me wonder why I stopped there, but decided to let it go and sit down with my computer and kelly green drink which had a chunk of pineapple on the rim of this tall thin glass.  As I sat there, the door remained open and I watched an array of people come and go.  A woman sat down next to me with a beer and her laptop.   Another woman came in and ordered some kind of vegan bowl--I know this only because all of their fare is vegan friendly.  A woman came in with her daughter (I am guessing) and spent $14 on a couple of smoothies, more than I typically spend on lunch.  Finally a couple came in who I had been watching since they parked their car across the street, in front of the neighborhood bar where I would have sat out at one of their picnic tables and worked if the sunlight wouldn’t have made it too difficult to see my computer screen. The couple pulled up in an old compact Saab.  I am not sure why they caught my eye because before they exited the car, there was nothing noticeable about them. I looked back down at what I was doing, but when I raised my gaze again, it was everything I could do to not stare and make mental notes of what I saw. 

The female of the couple, who had less cushion on her body than a wooden school chair, walked towards me with black spandex pants reminiscent of the ones Olivia Newton John wore in her signature role as Sandy in Grease.  Her top was short showing the pants all the way to the waist, leaving no room to “hide” any sort of gut. She finished the outfit with a black leather jacket.  Her hair was long and beautiful as it sat to one side around the back of her neck, black with soft waves.  Her skin flawless, displaying her pale complexion and red lipstick. Her face communicated a young innocence that her outfit betrayed.

Her boyfriend appeared a few years older. He wore jeans with workman’s boots, a t-shirt and a black leather vest.  His long, greasy hair hit the top of his shoulder and was covered by a fedora that in no way matched in color what he was wearing.  What stuck out the most on him, though were his tattoos.  His skin was like a sketch pad.  Each hand was decorated with what looked to me as scribbles of color all the way to the fingertips.  At the base of his neck where it meets the sternum was a large star in bright colors.  The couple sat and held hands as they waited for their smoothies, then headed out to their car.  I wondered to myself what else their day might hold.

As the hour got closer to five p.m. the small building filled up with folks having just finished their work day.  The feel was that of a bar or coffee shop, although the atmosphere did not suggest either. The decor was white and felt to me like a juice bar at a fitness club in the movies without the aerobics instructor in leg warmers and full length spandex.

Eventually I packed up my things and walked home.