The Last Close

Tonight went by just like any other night at the Bucks. Jarrod, Mark, and I were done with closing duties early. We leaned against the counters and chatted. We turned drinks out with our eyes closed. We yelled Schwarzenegger quotes at the top of our lungs. (And I just spelled 'Schwarzenegger' correctly on the first try.) We ate pastries that were going to go in the trash either way. We shared observations about regulars. And, keeping with tradition, we clocked out early. The three of us will never be behind that counter together ever again. It was a sad night.

Although the Bucks hasn’t been the most exhilarating job ever, it has drawn people together that would have never known each other. I remember meeting Jarrod for the first time over a Donald Miller book he had out on the counter. I thought this guy is going to be cool. A well worn Miller book was a guarantee that we would at least have some good conversations. Never could I have imagined making such a good friend as Jarrod at the workplace, especially in a coffee shop. Our friendship now extends beyond the bar and into the lives and interests we have away from coffee. I am thankful for that and hopeful that the distance that will soon separate us doesn’t build a wall between us.

I wish I had a picture of us behind the bar. It would be nice to glance at it and be taken back to this stage in my life, which was extremely transitional and uneasy, but fun and a time I will never forget.

There is one thing that can instantly bring me back to my nine month tenure at the Bucks. What is it? It is The Shins’ Wincing the Night Away. Jarrod and I played this album so much at work that every note of every song brings back the green apron, the smell of coffee, the customers, the long talks with intervals of lattes and frappucinos, the breaks, the rushes, the pretending our voices were The Shins’ guitars, the pints at the Pumphouse after work, and the connection that I was so blessed to find in the vastness of this corporation. He will never know how he helped me get through some nights at work, some emotionally trying times in my life, and long days.

There are diamonds in the oddest of places.