 |
|
|
O'Malley's Apothecary and Coffee Shop by Matthew Ohlson January 10, 2007 My first job as a teenager was at O'Malley's Apothecary and Coffee Shop. This old-fashioned store was located in the heart of a small town in Massachusetts and became the watering hole for those locals not comfortable at the trendy new coffee shops and eateries. The store contained almost any purchasable product imaginable from dusty bottles of out-of-date shampoo and hardened chocolates to tattered Brut cologne gift packs and useless trinkets that have remained untouched for years. They had the lottery, a pharmacy, a film developing center, and hundreds of greeting cards, but the one section of this archaic store that attracted the most loyal customers was the ten-seat coffee counter. Although all I served was coffee, donuts, and lottery scratch tickets, this counter became home to many people. They typical customer would come down about nine on a Saturday morning and order their usual: coffee, cigarettes, and scratch tickets. Between sips of coffee or a puff of their smoke (before the advent of smoking laws), one customer asked, "Matty, old boy, how ya been? Can't believe that cigarettes went up to $2, can you? Great coffee this morning. What kinda pants you wearing? You look like a farmer. I remember when I was a kid; I used to wear those overalls all the time. Those were the days; boy, I remember it just like yesterday- things sure have changed?" Silence was followed by a long sigh and a quick change in the topic of conversation. Almost every conversation seemed to somehow lead back to the good old days when "you could feed a family of six with what it costs for a cup of coffee today." In my four years working there, I rarely heard anyone say anything positive about the future. All that they held dear; honor, hard work, politeness and perhaps unquestioning patriotism, seemed to be disappearing in front of their eyes. Even though my goals were to go to college and leave this small, working-class town, I became close to many of the most faithful and consistent customers. So many of them had lost their jobs, lost their family and friends; while almost all had lost hope. Damaging their already weakened bodies with caffeine and nicotine, it saddened me every time someone would spend their last dollar on the lottery, hoping for the "Big One." All their dreams had been left unfulfilled and their only happiness seemed to be when they were recalling the period in their life when their dreams were still possible. Sometimes, it seemed as if they saw all those hopeful memories in me, for they knew that I had a chance to "move-on," while for them there was little left in life except for a seat at O'Malley's. I became like family to many of my customers whose loved ones had passed on. I received Christmas gifts from those who celebrated the holidays alone and I was given birthday cards from those I don't even remember revealing the date to. I had been paid minimum wage since my first day on the job and my tip jar was often emptied by the items I would buy for those regulars who insisted that they'd pay me back when things got better. Even though my high school friends had better paying jobs, I vowed to never leave this job for another. I learned more at that crowded, dusty store than I could at any other job. It was easy to realize how bad the economy was and even though I made very little money, I knew that I had so much in comparison to many of my customers. That following year, I was off to college and one of the biggest parts of my life was left behind in that store. Those people were always there for me, complimenting a horrid cup of coffee or reassuring me through times when my self-esteem was non-existent. When people I looked up to let me down, my customers made me feel special, worthwhile. Although it saddens me, even today, to think of that special place, I know that I can always look back and recall their faces blanketed in smoke, drinking luke-warm coffee, wasting money on the lottery, fortifying their personal "butt-prints" in the seats and talking of the good old days "when cigarettes were only a dollar." About the author: I am a Doctoral Fellow at the University of Florida. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Educational Leadership. I am married with a three-year old son and we are expecting son #2 at the end of January. We also have two dogs named Barkley and Madison. | | | |
First Person Archive Most recent: 2008 June May April March February January 2007 December November October September August July June May April March February January 2006 December September | |
 |
|
|
