Start of a Story

A character—referred to as One—looks out the window and recalls the stories of a building that was demolished twice, a place that has since become a popular spot for real‑book lovers in a nearby neighborhood. Not far from there, a Jack‑in‑the‑Box once stood in the previous century.

Tyreno, a towering, gender‑nonconforming longtime resident of this urban district, bursts into the shop brandishing a see‑through umbrella. Raindrops spin around the umbrella as if caught in a car’s revolving wheel. Startled, One looks up. Since they don’t know each other, One says nothing to the tall doyenne figure, fearing Tyreno might be unstable.

But One overhears Tyreno whisper, breathlessly and with a muted grin, “Did you know that next to this was the Roma Café?” He continues, “Roma clerks served six‑ounce coffee in cups from thrift stores and served black coffee from big vats.”

One also remembers the Roma Café and almost enjoys Tyreno’s oddly modulated voice. He thinks about how the tables there were arranged in small square formations—like a giant waffle grid—with narrow passageways between them. He used to meet his friends there when a lot of younger artists lived in this district.