The Breakfast Theory

I started drinking coffee at an early age, when Starbucks wasn't a fad yet and social coffee drinking wasn't a thing either. In our household, the smell of freshly brewed coffee meant guests, and Mama has the most diverse set of friends. Coffee wasn't just for mornings but afternoons, nights and even after midnight when a distressed friend would come knocking. Once I smell coffee, I would come out of the bedroom and see who our guests were and I'd hover around them awhile until I get bored of the conversation and leave them be. They would laugh hysterically at first, and then in hushed tones share their problems in between quiet sobs, and then you'd hear them laughing again. Those moments ingrained in me just how comforting coffee can be. Most of what I know about relationships and life were from observing Mama and her friends, and listening to their woes. Different people, different problems but all comforted by a cup of coffee and a friend willing to listen. So wh