Miracles in a cafe
“To the ones who dare to dream. Foolish as they may seem …” Seth sang on the driver’s seat, waiting for the cars in front of him to move. He sang leisurely in his calm and peaceful voice was, unlike the other road-users waiting impatiently in a hectic cosmopolitan although the traffic light had turned green. He was just sitting in his car at ease, being immune to the hustle and bustle around him. Finally, those cars started to move and he drove back to his café leisurely. Enjoying the travel from his home to his shop, he continued to hum the song. “…Smiling through it. She said she’d do it again.” After he finished the song, he was already in front of a café named “Smile and Dream’’.
He greeted his staff one by one before entering his room. “Hey! How are you all doing? You all look terrific this morning. Keep going!” He told his baristas and the waiters. After putting his briefcase into his room, he got out and chatted with his customers. He was going to every table and had a brief conversation with the patrons to show his care to them. Hoping to reconcile the gap between different people in society, he greeted every foodie with a warm grin. He hoped that he could make the world a better place if he showed love, appreciation and kindness to the people surrounding him. They were chatting heartily.
Suddenly, the door was opened. A young man in a proper suit came in, looking around in the cafe and sat down in the corner. He ordered a cup of chocolate and a muffin with a relaxed voice as if he had some good news to share with others. Seth noticed him and rushed to that table. “Man, I miss you so much. It’s been a long time since you last visited here. How have you been recently?” That man showed his smile and hugged Seth. “I’m having a great time. I am the CEO of a company in the UK now. The café hasn’t changed much. It’s still very warm and makes me full of hope and fills me with high spirits,” Jacob told Seth proudly. They sat down and began their nice chat. Seth recalled from his memory about how they met. It was as if that everything happened just one day before.
A teenage boy caught his attention as that boy was huddling up in the corner, looking very distressed and agitated. Not only was he looking depressed, but he was sitting there aimlessly. He was simply giving a hollow stare at the floor, just like a man having no soul. Seth went to the boy with a cup of cozy chocolate and a muffin. The boy didn’t react as Seth sat opposite to him. “Hey man, why are you so down? I am a good listener and perhaps I can help you.’’ The boy gazed at him in surprise but still didn’t utter a word. “Perhaps he doesn’t want to chat with me. I’d better leave,” Seth thought. “My name is Jacob. I am leaving my secondary school soon. But I got no offer from any university because I have bad results in DSE. I feel really at a loss and don’t know what I can do…” Jacob continued to tell Seth his story. Seth paid attention to his story patiently and made sincere responses. After some time, the boy stood up with a hopeful smile and shook hands with Seth. Having helped Jacob, Seth felt very delighted and showed Jacob his support. Jacob ran out of the café and didn’t even look back.
“Are you listening to me? You look like you’re just daydreaming,” Jacob blamed Seth. Seth just couldn’t stop laughing and told him that he was recalling their first encounter. Both of them chuckled.
They both relished their time chatting about their recent lives. Time flies, especially
good ones. It was time for Jacob to go back to the headquarters of his company. “Seth, thank you very much. It’s you who changed my life. You encouraged me to pursue my dream despite not being admitted to any university. You told me to be kind and have courage, and dare to dream. Your words are carved in my mind, and I will remember them forever.”
Seth looked at the back of Jacob and found the scene very pleasing. He was glad that his showing of love and care to others has encouraged many customers of his. He was very joyful that his care to Jacob has changed his life and many people’s lives since Jacob was the CEO of a multi-national charitable organization, which helped improve lives of the poor in developing countries.
At first, Seth just hoped to make people around him happier. Out of the blue, his words have made a big difference. He changed the life of Jacob and the fate of hundreds and thousands of people in the world. Seth couldn’t help smiling and continued to walk to different coffee lovers and hoped to show them his passion and enthusiasm. He hoped that some more miracles would happen in the future.