Black Grounds was an interesting mixture of a jazz club and coffee hangout. the first thing Lexi was greeted with when she walked in was the wax and ebb of a band, located on a slightly raised platform that could've either been a stage or a dance floor. An acoustic guitar and soprano saxophone serenaded each other, effortlessly, going back and forth in harmony's exchange.
The second sensory pleasure that met her was the smell that seemed to hover in the atmosphere throughout the room, like cigarette smoke in a casino. Coffee. Sweet, dark, and smooth. And not the stuff you buy from a grocery store or a chain.
Real coffee.
And with those two pleasures caressing her nose and ears, she knew this place was special. A little corner of peace within the chaos. A little taste of sex in a sterile world.
"Can I help you miss?" A teen holding a broom and wearing a dark gray apron Black Grounds's logo embroidered on the front broke Lexi's awe.
"Um yes, I have a meeting with April Johnston? The manager of this facility? Is she by any chance available?"
"Of course! have a seat and I'll let her know you've arrived." The teen swirled on her heel with a whip of cherry blonde hair and went off to the back of the store.
"Thanks" Lexi mumbled to herself before looking around for available spots to sit. It was a small shop, and relatively full. a pair of businessmen sipping an Espresso and what she assumed to be an Americano. A young girl with a laptop and textbook, bobbing her head to the music. a pair of moms bouncing toddlers on their knees, while swapping gossip between sips of Frappe.
Lexi chose a bench underneath the windowsill and sat down to enjoy the atmosphere while she waited. She felt slightly awkward and out of place among the comfort and ease of the shop. A glance at her notebook. A glance at her watch.
"You're new here." Lexi's head snapped up in surprise at the soft voice from her right. She looked over to see a girl, maybe 9 or 10 years old. Dark brown hair falling out of a long braid in unruly whisps and a gaze of large chocolate eyes. She was certainly dressed well, with a pair of designer jeans that fit perfectly on her lanky little frame, and high end sneakers on her awkward puppy feet. But she seemed to be alone, which surprised Lexi. "I can tell. I've never seen you before. This is your first time."
"Really?" Lexi said, a smile creeping into her eyes. "And how do you know I haven't come sometime when you were at home? Or school?"
"Oh, I'm here ALL the time. This is practically my shop. And I don't go to school." The way she said it made Lexi laugh.
"Oh? No school?"
"Uh huh. I have a tutor and do my classes online. And my dad brings me here when he does his work. He meets with his business assotiates." Lexi's smile grew at the mispronunciation of the word that the child was obviously so proud of using. "So I get to sit here a lot." The child gave a little smirk, revealing a gap in her two front teeth. The girl would need braces soon enough. "Alice sometimes gives me hot chocolate for FREE, if I draw her pictures. See?"
She enthusiastically showed Lexi the drink in her hand. "I tried coffee once, but it was so NASTY. I don't know how grown ups drink that stuff. It tastes like..." she hesitated and looked around before leaning in towards Lexi's ear and whispering "poop!" in a tiny squeak, and then backing away with a giggle. "I asked Alice once, and she said it's an 'aquired taste'." The girl got a funny look on her face. "I'm not really sure what that means...but I think it means when you're a grown up, you're tongue changes and you like things like beer and brussels sprouts. And BOYS."
Lexi let out another laugh at this quirky little girl who had struck up such a conversation. "You know what hon, I'm 23 and I STILL don't understand beer. Or brussels sprouts. Or even boys."
It was then that the blond teen with the apron came over. "Mrs. Johnston can see you for a moment, if you're ready."
Lexi winked at her new friend. "I've got to go now, but it was wonderful chatting with you ma'me." The young girl's face transformed into a bigger toothy smile and she sat a little straighter, obvioulsy feeling grown up and important after being called "ma'me".
Lexi walked off with the barista to the back of the shop. "So you must be the famous Alice?"
"That I am. And you've been talking with the famous Charity?"
"So that's her name?" Lexi mused. "Cute kid!"
"She really is, bless her heart. Her father's here all the time for business. I have no idea why she doesn't stay with her mom or go to school and play with kids her own age. She just sits by herself and draws. Will talk your ear off if you let her!"
Lexi snorted at the observation. "I noticed."
"You're with the paper, right?" Alice inquired. "The one at the college?"
"Yeah. Hoping to write a piece about this place. Really get you guys some press." Alice got a queer look on her face. "What?" Lexi asked.
"I don't know...I mean...I know we need the business, but there's something about this spot that's special. Private. Secret, you know? Our own secret little purlieu." She tittered. "At least, Charity and I think so."
Lexi understood that much. Who doesn't want their own haunt, their own sanctuary where they could just come and be. And that described the Black Grounds perfectly. Almost a physical manifestation of the mind mixing dark and light. Sultry and fresh. Real, if you would. Authentic in every way.
A place where truth could be truth, a musician could play the song in his heart, and a little girl could feel like a queen in her own little corner of the universe.
The words echoed in the back of Lexi's mind as she shook hands with the woman who then approached, introducing herself as the manager. She floated through the interview on autopilot, thinking about the secret Black Grounds on main, the girl named Charity with chocolate eyes, and the serenade of a soprano saxophone.
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