Mr. Plum
I have a book out today, Mr Plum, which you can buy from here from Torquere.
Here is the cover and blurb.
It was the color of the sleeve that Dave noticed, a
deep plum that matched the stripe on the tie Tom was
wearing. Dave always noticed things like that. He had a
keen eye for detail. Dave was green with envy; he had
never been given that sleeve. Plum was by far and away
his favourite color, and yet the world and the coffee
shop on the station had never seen fit to give him a plum
sleeve on Dave’s morning drink.
He didn't get it this time either. His was red. It was a
deep red and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't plum and it
made Dave grit his teeth in frustration. He could hardly
demand that Kai, the barista with a huge smile who
made him industrial strength coffee every morning at no
extra charge, hunt through cardboard sleeves until he
found a plum one. Yeah, he could just see how well that
would go down with the queue of bleary-eyed
commuters behind him. So he just smiled thinly and,
clutching his coffee, followed Mr. Plum, for want of a
better name, out of the tiny coffee shop on platform
four, to await the 8:50 to London Waterloo.
The lucky man wandered farther up the platform than
Dave normally stood, his nose buried deep in his Kindle.
He didn't seem to notice the covetous glances Dave had
been casting at his coffee cup. The train arrived and they
both got on, Mr. Plum in another carriage. Dave was
lucky enough to find a seat, and he sat, sipping at his
coffee, with the crimson sleeve around his cup. If the
coffee tasted a little bitter to him, maybe that was just an
added dash of sour grapes -- plum colored, of course.
***
Two days later, Dave swore miserably under his
breath as he staggered up the stairs to the platform.
Having been off work the previous day, enduring the
torture of root canal work at the dentist, Dave was not in
the best of moods. He was grumpy and hurting like hell,
despite painkillers that the dentist had sworn would fell
an ox. It had taken him a long time to get moving that
morning, his whole face and jaw aching with the pain. It
was 8:48 and he was too late to get a coffee. With the
best will in the world, Kai couldn't move the line that
quickly.
Miserably, Dave moved to his usual spot on the
platform, waiting for the train to arrive. Lost his own
world, Dave wasn't prepared for the cup of coffee that
was thrust under his nose. He looked up to see Mr. Plum
smiling at him.
"Kai thought you might be in be in need of this," he
said, holding out the cup. When Dave didn't take the cup
immediately, his smile started to wobble. Dave noticed
that Mr. Plum had a really nice smile, in fact he had a
really gorgeous face. Warm, dark brown eyes and olive
skin, framed by a crisp, dark-red cotton shirt. The tie had
a red motif the same color as his shirt. This guy knew
how to coordinate.
Mr. Plum started to withdraw the cup as the train
pulled into the station. "Maybe I got the wrong person,"
he said uncertainly.
"No!" Seeing his caffeine disappearing, Dave made a
grab for the cardboard cup, "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling so
good this morning." Their fingers tangled briefly as he
took the cup.
Having handed the coffee over to him, Mr. Plum's
smile returned. "Kai said that. Hope you feel better
tomorrow." He moved down the platform to his usual
spot with a brief goodbye.
Dave stared after him for so long he almost forgot
why he was standing on the platform and had to make a
hasty scramble to get in before the doors closed. As he
sat down, clutching his coffee in one hand and the free
newspaper in the other, Dave mentally made a note to
thank Kai and settle up with him on Monday. It wasn't
the first time Kai had given out a free coffee if Dave felt
his customer was in need, but Dave didn't like to take
advantage of the generous barista.
He took a sip of the strong black coffee and for the
first time, caught sight of the cardboard sleeve. The
plum-colored cardboard sleeve. For the first time since
he'd got up, there was a smile curving Dave's mouth, as
he traced his fingers over the cup.
Here is the cover and blurb.
It was the color of the sleeve that Dave noticed, a
deep plum that matched the stripe on the tie Tom was
wearing. Dave always noticed things like that. He had a
keen eye for detail. Dave was green with envy; he had
never been given that sleeve. Plum was by far and away
his favourite color, and yet the world and the coffee
shop on the station had never seen fit to give him a plum
sleeve on Dave’s morning drink.
He didn't get it this time either. His was red. It was a
deep red and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't plum and it
made Dave grit his teeth in frustration. He could hardly
demand that Kai, the barista with a huge smile who
made him industrial strength coffee every morning at no
extra charge, hunt through cardboard sleeves until he
found a plum one. Yeah, he could just see how well that
would go down with the queue of bleary-eyed
commuters behind him. So he just smiled thinly and,
clutching his coffee, followed Mr. Plum, for want of a
better name, out of the tiny coffee shop on platform
four, to await the 8:50 to London Waterloo.
The lucky man wandered farther up the platform than
Dave normally stood, his nose buried deep in his Kindle.
He didn't seem to notice the covetous glances Dave had
been casting at his coffee cup. The train arrived and they
both got on, Mr. Plum in another carriage. Dave was
lucky enough to find a seat, and he sat, sipping at his
coffee, with the crimson sleeve around his cup. If the
coffee tasted a little bitter to him, maybe that was just an
added dash of sour grapes -- plum colored, of course.
***
Two days later, Dave swore miserably under his
breath as he staggered up the stairs to the platform.
Having been off work the previous day, enduring the
torture of root canal work at the dentist, Dave was not in
the best of moods. He was grumpy and hurting like hell,
despite painkillers that the dentist had sworn would fell
an ox. It had taken him a long time to get moving that
morning, his whole face and jaw aching with the pain. It
was 8:48 and he was too late to get a coffee. With the
best will in the world, Kai couldn't move the line that
quickly.
Miserably, Dave moved to his usual spot on the
platform, waiting for the train to arrive. Lost his own
world, Dave wasn't prepared for the cup of coffee that
was thrust under his nose. He looked up to see Mr. Plum
smiling at him.
"Kai thought you might be in be in need of this," he
said, holding out the cup. When Dave didn't take the cup
immediately, his smile started to wobble. Dave noticed
that Mr. Plum had a really nice smile, in fact he had a
really gorgeous face. Warm, dark brown eyes and olive
skin, framed by a crisp, dark-red cotton shirt. The tie had
a red motif the same color as his shirt. This guy knew
how to coordinate.
Mr. Plum started to withdraw the cup as the train
pulled into the station. "Maybe I got the wrong person,"
he said uncertainly.
"No!" Seeing his caffeine disappearing, Dave made a
grab for the cardboard cup, "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling so
good this morning." Their fingers tangled briefly as he
took the cup.
Having handed the coffee over to him, Mr. Plum's
smile returned. "Kai said that. Hope you feel better
tomorrow." He moved down the platform to his usual
spot with a brief goodbye.
Dave stared after him for so long he almost forgot
why he was standing on the platform and had to make a
hasty scramble to get in before the doors closed. As he
sat down, clutching his coffee in one hand and the free
newspaper in the other, Dave mentally made a note to
thank Kai and settle up with him on Monday. It wasn't
the first time Kai had given out a free coffee if Dave felt
his customer was in need, but Dave didn't like to take
advantage of the generous barista.
He took a sip of the strong black coffee and for the
first time, caught sight of the cardboard sleeve. The
plum-colored cardboard sleeve. For the first time since
he'd got up, there was a smile curving Dave's mouth, as
he traced his fingers over the cup.