Chapter 6

A week later, at the Bean Coffee shop where Diana and her best friend Tommy Reynolds work, she looked around; the shop was once cloistered and closed with so many tables and so little room. Now the shop was open-air, a sort of covered patio with tables a respectful distance apart. Wrapped up in the wintertime, dressed for the occasion, the patron's hands warmed and their breath rose in serendipitous puffs as they enjoyed their warm coffee, the sweetness of chocolate cups, freshly baked goods, and soothing music. The coffee shop patio was Diana's happy place. Here she noticed everyone, the corner shops, and the university a few yards away.

There were so many memories—her happy times here with her best friend, their never-ending arguments about his many theories about everything on the planet.

With a cup of coffee in her hand, Diana noticed how busy the food vendors were, giving the middle of the community a sort of market atmosphere and the university student area zone.