A Tale of Two Coffee Shops

Monday, April 21, 2008. I had just moved out of Kansas City and in with my brother in St. Charles two days earlier. My first order of business was to look up local coffee shops online. I decided Monday to try Picasso’s Art of Coffee. Two employees were working there that day: Anthony and Jenny.

Present Day. I have grown comfortable with bantering with both of those characters by this point. (Jenny wasn’t here today, so she’s not really part of the story.) I was just chatting with Anthony about… I don’t remember what, but somehow we got on the subject of Kansas City. He worked at Scooter’s on the Plaza during the exact times I used to be there on a daily basis. I went on to tell him that another Anthony worked at the other Scooter’s in OP. The Anthony here said that he knew the other Anthony in Overland Park, too.

This is amazing. My mind can’t grasp the… smallness of the world.

All this time, and Anthony No. 1 and I didn’t even recognize each other from Kansas City. All this time, and we both knew Anthony No. 2. All this time, and it only comes up as I’m preparing to leave town. I bet the next coffee shop hangout I find employs an Anthony.

This is just like in Local Hero, when Denis Lawson turns out to be both the hotel owner and the accountant. Actually, that sort of British humor would only be applicable had I recognized Anthony immediately.

Amazing.

Get to know your barista.