It seems about 1/3rd of the world knows you can sit and chill in a Starbucks coffee house...
It seems about 33% of the world knows you can sit and chill in a Starbucks coffee house without actually having to buy anything. The other portion of society does not chill, or thinks that you have to pay for everything where ever you go. I think this is why few people even go to libraries.
So the art of people watching merged in with setting up a small laptop or using your handheld mobile device while sitting in a cool, relaxed, safe in door area with a very accessible and clean bathroom for up to three hours without being asked to leave is peaceful.
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Lots of stuff went down at the Starbucks on San Mateo in Albuquerque about two weeks ago! A lady and a young guy came in with the guy yelling and a customer or two became a hero to me!
The social worker became a hero by raising to her 5 foot 9 height, repeating what the barrista had said, and asking the young man to leave. The near by plain clothed detective with visable gun on his waist sat there quietly and then did create a community by following the dude into the parking lot to assure the young lady would be safe at least for an hour.
I was like: "Andrea! You missed all this stuff!" She sat focused and yes, not anxious and at peace, a rarity for my New York gal, and she was watching a video or reading something on her cel phone.
I was alerted the SECOND that the cop came in! (I still don't like to see guns on hips, even in peace keepers' possession because A/ someone could make that cop go 51-50 or postal, or B/ Someone could grab his gun from him and shoot it!?)
Andrea was like: "I was reading my cel phone! I was reading my cel phone!"
I -- a writer -- and former dangerous neighborhood school teacher -- was alert the second the man with the gun walked in. He was a white man with gray hair.
Luckily, he did not 'step up' right away. "Loose cannon" was my biggest fear...
The girl cried for quite a long time. The boy probably was a boyfriend or partner. He started out saying: "Wouldn't you be mad or unhappy too?" and at first I thought they just got his drive thru order wrong! As time and my looking back hit me, he had no coffee or peaceful lounging Starbucks business at all -- it was just that he and his buddy and this girl were all right here in this area, just like I was. By happenstance or coincidence. It was indiscernible the exact happenings, but I felt she was homeless or hopeless or lost because surely losing a fool like he would not have been the end of the world? (If you know me, you will know I was trying to listen in to figure things out, but I did not want to appear to be "snooping around"!) You know, "snooping" aka Diane <<investigating or looking around furtively in an attempt to find out something, especially information about someone's private affairs: >>
She was my hero. I wished in a way that I could have been the hero, but I was groggy and by stander-ish. She de-escalated the young man -- called 911, and talked to the barista / store cashier. She also talked to the crying girl. It is a day when you feel there is hope for ABQ -- and for humankind.
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