By Robb Lanum
“Do you have a different name?”
Michelle didn’t follow, so the barista continued. “There’s another Michelle over there. When we call ‘Michelle,’ everybody will be confused. Do you have another name you use?”
But she didn’t; she had always been Michelle. The barista said, “Let’s go with… Sparkle.” He wrote it on her cup.
At her office, Michelle couldn’t stop thinking about this. “Sparkle” was much too…millennial, but how about “Janice”? “Jessica”?
And riding home on the train: “Sarah”? “Stevie”? “Winona”? Michelle smiled—she could be Winona.
She missed her stop and never looked back. She wasn’t Michelle any longer.
Well done! While this worked great for me as a 101 word piece, this is the kind of grabbing opening that could really draw out a much longer story. The title also works very well. Good job Robb.
See! Coffee can change your whole life. My Starbucks name is Kenya.
I loved this!
A wonderful story.
nice!
This story made me feel GOOD!
Her name Winona is perfect.
Loved this!
Perfect.
Rob: It seems my name has ended up on your story. Probably because I sent a request to the production team, about putting my name on a story that is mine. That story has a similar title to yours(last cup of coffee) . A simple mix – up, in other words.
I have notified production per email. Im so sorry, man
Thanks for making me aware, David.
This story snuck up on me. When I read the title, I assumed the story would be about physical & psychological effects of giving up caffeine. But the Michelle-barista exchange laid the groundwork fora greater change: the personal evolution into Winona. I enjoyed the 8-word sentence, “She missed her stop and never looked back.”
Would it have ended differently if she had ordered decafe? Great story