Starbucks and Me: A Short Short Story "Coffee, Names, and Me"

Short-Short: Coffee, Names, and Me

This happened back when I was living in the U.S.

Every town had that Starbucks with the green logo.

The first time I went in, the barista asked,

“Name?”

“Uh… Kenta,” I said.

The cup came back with “Tenta”.

The next day, I tried again.

This time: “Cant”.

The day after: “Kemto”.

At this point, it felt like a spelling quiz.

When they called out the orders in the store, it went something like:
“Ten! Tall Drip Coffee!”

…Who even is that? I still raised my hand.

Eventually, I gave up and just said,
“K.”

That way, there was no way they could get it wrong.

“Kay! Tall Drip Coffee!”

Ah… peace at last.

But one day, I thought, if I were back in Osaka, I’d probably do this…

When the barista asked,
“Name?”

I smiled and said,
“Justin Bieber.”

The student sitting next to me nearly spilled their coffee.

When my drink was ready, the barista called out,
“Justin Bieber! Caramel Macchiato!”

I raised my hand slightly and said,
“That’s me.”

Everyone turned to look, and a wave of laughter filled the café.

For a moment, amidst the smell of coffee, America felt a little closer.

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P.S. Americans… they have a funny way of enjoying little moments like this.

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