...

First, I'd like to ask your forgiveness. I am terrible with names, you see, so I while I have no doubt that I've heard yours dozens of times, it has never stuck. I remember your order though. I remember all our store's regulars by their order. It's a small iced latte with extra ice, along with a large ice cup. Whenever you meet a new face at the window, you feel an obligation to say "I love your ice" with a laugh. I've never questioned the order. We had a regular for a while who would get an extra small black coffee, then 4 large cups of ice. I just assumed he didn't want to pay that much for ice, which is fair enough.

I write because the other day we had an exchange that stuck with me, and I wanted to properly thank you. When I handed you your drink, you asked how I was doing, and I laughed and said I'd been better. You suddenly looked very serious, and asked what was wrong. I blushed, and said it wasn't really the time, but that I was holding out. Then, you said 'every time I see you, my day gets brighter'. And then you drove off.

What you did not see or hear is the cathartic tears that welled in my eyes, or the way my voice wavered on the speaker for a while as I stopped myself from crying. I had been having a very bad week, you see. One of my major prospects for the future had fallen through, and that had left me deeply stuck in a funk. I was, to put it bluntly, suicidal in that moment. And then you said that every time our lives briefly cross, I leave yours feeling brighter. and I remembered that the point of life is the small joys we bring to each other. I wanted to thank you for that reminder. It meant a lot, and in that moment, was precisely what I needed to hear. Thank you.