Shattered: Part 1

Amia sat at the kitchen table, staring at the glass across from her. It was empty and seemingly unimportant, but to her it was the most precious thing in the room. It hadn't been long ago that at this time of day, as the morning sun rose, that glass was full of iced coffee, Columbian roast with a dash of milk and no sugar. Yet this morning, it sat empty, as it had for 3 days that to her felt like an eternity. The whole house felt empty. Without Richard there, there was no liveliness. He had always been the fun one, whereas she was the quiet one. It had been that way since the day they met....

The rain just wouldn't stop that gloomy Tuesday. In fact, it had been between drizzles and down pours for almost a whole week, but such was April. Quickly, Amia made her way down the dripping sidewalks towards the coffee house on the corner, her umbrella keeping only some of the water off her emerald peacoat. As she entered the glass doors, she closed her umbrella and attempted to shake off some of the water before heading towards the counter. She approached the barista knowing her daily order by heart, so without any effort, in almost one breath, she repeated it.

"One skim milk latte with a pump of caramel. One double espresso. Two chai lattes. And a buttered chocolate chip croissant."

After putting in her order, she stood off to the side and pulled out her Blackberry. She checked through her to do list to make sure she was where she needed to be for the morning, then it started ringing. Her eyes rolled at the number on the screen: Cynthia Roswell... Again... Reluctantly, she answered the call.

"Amy, where is my espresso?" the shrill voice requested through the speakers.

"I am on my way back---" Cynthia interrupted her.

"Hurry up. I NEED that espresso an hour ago!" The phone clicked and Cynthia was gone.

Amia sighed with agitation as she put the Blackberry back in her purse as she stepped towards the pick up counter. As always, Cynthia got right under her skin. Obviously, she had little care in the world for anyone other than herself. She didn't even have the decency to know her assistant's actual name. Lost in her raging thoughts, she didn't notice the man grabbing his drink order and ran right into him. Coffee was everywhere in seconds. With a flushed face, Amia raised her head to take in the scene of what had just happened. As she did, she found that the man was merely smiling at her, which made her burst out laughing.

"How are you smiling after I knocked your whole coffee all over?" she sputtered with confusion.

He just wiped a bit of coffee off her cheek as he responded. "It's just iced coffee. Definitely a small price to pay for a little ray of sunshine on a rainy day." With that, he turned and let the cashier know about the mess before heading out the door.

Amia just watched as he left, bewildered by the entire situation. A few moments passed before she realized the girl behind the counter was calling her order number for the 5th or 6th time. In a scramble, she wiped off the remaining coffee on her hands and shoes, then picked up her drink tray to head off to the office. The rest of her day was a bit of a blur, too hazy to remember, but that moment in that coffee shop was one of the most important of her life: the day she met Richard.