The businessman sits in his quiet corner reading the local newspaper, the San Mateo Times. His venti latte stands idly on the coffee table. He purposely bought the largest size so that it would take a longer time to finish his refreshment of the day. He is completely absorbed by the top news story that the flying car has officially been released and there will soon be a live exhibition in France. His eyes are soaked into the text. He doesn’t even hear the people shuffling by or striking conversations with each other. He doesn’t notice people ordering their drinks, or the line that’s forming next to him. He slowly shuts his eyes, picturing this technological breakthrough in his head. Then, he imagines himself cruising down the street with this sleek, shiny, flying car. He would be the coolest kid on the black. His thoughts are interrupted when a regular customer bumps into his arm as he seats himself at the table next to him.

He quickly sets up his laptop and puts on his earphones. He’s also got a venti iced strawberry frappuchino next to his gear. He plans to spend the next six hours in this seat, so he might as well get comfortable now. He clicks open to the Internet. His bottom is planted into the seat glues his eyes onto the computer screen. Green Day blasts against his eardrums. He’s currently jobless, and has nothing better to do than blame the current economy. He starts searching for job opportunities. He finds nothing that intrigues him. Easily bored, the man opens up three social networking sites – Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. An hour flies by and he finally realizes that he has still made no progress. As this man camps out for the entire morning in the same seat, a statue may as well honor his presence. He stares out the window, thinking to himself, why couldn’t he land a job that would strike him rich like all these affluent people walking around Burlingame Avenue? He then looks at his iTouch and immediately thinks about the thriving music industry. He finds a website and makes his first call.

The cashier looks over at this man making a phone call. She is slightly annoyed with people who spend their whole day engrossed in their laptop screens in Starbucks. Nevertheless, she looks away and sees an approaching customer. She immediately wears her smile and her cheerful personality. After all, Starbucks wants returning customers, and she wants to leave a positive, lasting impression. Her hands are extremely deft from months of experience. She can handle the money quickly and never fails to keep her coworkers waiting for the order. She’s memorized the entire menu and knows each drink description by heart. She happily converses with the customers and has even befriended a real estate agent who regularly holds meetings here.


The real estate agent greets the cashier. He comes everyday at two o’clock sharp and always manages to find a quiet section of the room to sit in. Starbucks is virtually his office since he meets with all his clients here, discussing about the best houses for the best prices on the market. Today, a shop owner meets with him to discuss about selling his house. They exchange greetings, shake hands, and sit down at opposite ends of the two-person table. The real estate agent looks at the pictures of the house’s interior and exterior and believes that he has a promising house that would sell quickly and allow him to make big profits. The two talk about what price the owner would like to sell it for. They exchange their business cards and decide that the real estate agent will visit the house the next day. He gets out of his seat and puts on his coat, when all of a sudden, he sees a familiar girl’s face.

“Grace! Is that you?”

“Oh hey, Uncle John!”

My friends quietly whisper in my ear, wondering who this man is. I explain that he is a relative and we proceed to the cashier. I order a mocha peppermint drink, a holiday special. My friends and I enjoy the warm and cozy atmosphere of Starbucks. The aroma of the store makes me smile as I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the endless business and the soothing music. We’re planning out our surprise party for a friend. My mind dozes off as I look out the window, hoping for the weekend to come faster. My hands wrap the cup as I slowly feel the heat being transferred into my ice cold palms. “Grace, yoohoooo, can you bring the balloons?” “Huh? Oh sure. Got it.” I join their conversation and I quickly grow excited with the plan. I slowly sip my mocha peppermint drink, savoring every gulp of pure heaven. I want this moment to last forever. The environment of Starbucks always makes me feel welcome and at home. At the moment, nothing could be better than spending the afternoon in Starbucks with a hot drink and loving friends.