A Space Shuttle's Café Run

No, this is not about a spaceship who decides to go to Starbucks...

It’s a sweltering summer day in the Sunshine State of Florida. Traffic is blocked on both sides of the road. Several people are reduced to walking to their jobs instead, but some are gazing wide eyed at the large parade balloon behind them. Here’s the thing though, it’s not a parade balloon. The gargantuan piece of spacecraft being carried down the road is a legitimate NASA Space Shuttle. The people you thought were impatient businessmen are safety workers, patrolling the area and making sure the shuttle reaches its destination in tact.

Now, because the NASA Space Crawler is one of the slowest motor vehicles ever made, it takes the Shuttle quite a bit of time to get to Cape Canaveral. At this point, the sun has begun to set, silhouettes of palm trees wave back and forth to a tropical breeze in the distance, and right in front of you, a doughnut that could end world hunger stands as a bakery’s sign and logo. This place is bound to get good business with each shuttle launch mainly because the Crawler passes the café on its route to Cape Canaveral. 

But, is that really what happened? The answer still surprises you, even though you witnessed the whole thing.

* * *

You woke up early that morning, as you normally would, and went through your morning routine. After shaving what little facial hair you had grown almost overnight, you tie your shoes, throw on a blazer, and head down to the parking garage. Once you’ve gotten into your car, extremely loud music takes coffee’s job of waking you up, so after almost jumping out of your seat, you immediately turn the radio off and begin your morning commute to work.

Then suddenly, you remember. 

It’s your manager’s birthday. 

You’ve been wanting a promotion for years now, but someone has always beaten you to the opportunity. Perhaps this is your chance? Flattery may not be the best route to a better paycheck, but it’s worth a try. Your mind goes through a spin cycle of possible gift ideas, and then the perfect plan simply falls into your lap. Literally. 

When you stop at the first red light of the morning, a coupon falls out of the pull-down sun shield above your seat. It’s a newspaper offer for a free baker’s dozen muffins from Randy’s Donuts down the road. You personally could care less for pastries, but word around the cubicles says that your manager adores Randy’s Donuts, bragging that he goes there for breakfast every morning before clocking in.

It’s a guaranteed promotion, so you hastily change lanes and take a right. As you drive down the highway, you turn the radio back on, feeling strangely hopeful. You begin to daydream about what you could do with your larger paycheck. You could finally get that new camera you wanted, or maybe even go on a cruise!

Then, she comes to mind.

You’ve been working in cubicles across from each other for about a year now. Ever since then, you’ve been head over heels like you haven’t been since your days in high school. But what is it about her that you find yourself enraptured by? Is it the way her thick black curls seem to bounce with every move she makes, or is it the fresh green valleys in her eyes that make you feel like her winged eyeliner could send you soaring? Perhaps you’ll never know how, but you certainly know that you fell in love with her the moment she made her home in that cubicle.

You could take her out on the town for dinner and a movie. With chivalry as your witness you would let her choose where you ate and what you watched because to you it doesn’t matter if you’re watching the biggest filmmaking flop or dining on a poorly prepared Big Mac. You’re with her, and in the end that’s all that really matters.

Of course, as coincidence would have it, a love song starts to play on the radio. You start to get lost in a daydream of the pair of you, inches away from each others’ faces. Your lips are about to collide in what would be the best kiss of your lifetime, when a blaring car horn pulls you back onto the highway, chock full of stationary cars on both sides of the road. 

You slam on the brakes forcefully, and fortunately avoid doing any damage to both your car, and the one in front of you. That doesn’t stop the driver of said car from getting out and storming up to your window. As would be typical of a retired Florida citizen, the geezer starts raising Cain at you. No really. He lifts is walking stick from the scorching asphalt and starts bringing its tennis ball covered ends down on your car’s roof, all the while shouting words you remember your uncle using after he’d had one to many vodka shots.

For awhile you accept your discipline, but in the distance the two of you see something that causes him to lower his cane, and for you to get out of your car and pull out your phone.

About fifty or so feet ahead of you, a whole group of service cars and neon vest wearing workers are guiding something around a turn. Was there a parade today or something? There wouldn’t be any other explanation for a large balloon shaped like a space shuttle in the streets. That is, of course, unless it isn’t a parade balloon at all. Parade balloons don’t need that much security surrounding them. It finally hits you. That’s an actual NASA space shuttle being moved down the road.

Before you know you’ve done it, you’ve taken a picture of the shuttle and sent it to your manager with a caption attached.

“Happy Birthday. I won’t be coming into work because of a galactic traffic jam. Have a nice day.”

The promotion could wait.

* * *

After your pizza dinner that night, you turn on the news to find the Space Shuttle passing a large plastic doughnut, large enough to end world hunger if actually baked. You immediately recognize the signature café sign and end up laughing, thankful you didn’t continue your morning commute.

The shuttle had only just gotten to Randy’s Donuts. 

Reviews

[Usman Muhammad]

I have, for the first time, witnessed this type of writing. I mean in the sense of Narration.
To me, it is a quite unique way to write a story. To let the reader see everything for himself.
Well done, looking forward to read your other writings.
Keep writing
Regards
Usman

[Jessica Jaufmann]

I really liked it! There aren't many second person narratives on here so I appreciate this very much. Second person is really hard and you did a nice job of making me believe I was doing everything you said. Not once did I think, "I wouldn't do that." The description of the girl is fantastic as well, I want to be with her. I also love that you told us the name of the donut shop in the last line, which kept us as readers invested until the end and reminded us that this is really a fantasy while driving a space shuttle down the road. Great job!