Notes from a Coffee Shop

It's January in Boston and it's finally snowing. It started out slow, brows furrowed, the expression of "Am I actually seeing this?" Then the flakes dropped faster, following the wind into curls and drafts as people walk down the street with their eyes narrowed against the stinging wind and flakes. Nobody looks upset by the snow, but they look relieved, glad to finally see some evidence of a normal winter. A family ducks into the coffee shop, pulling together two tables, rounding up extra chairs from occupied tables. A small boy in a orange sweater quietly plays with an action figure and eats a cookie. Customers gather toward the windows, glancing up from their coffees and conversations to take in the snow. It begins to cling to handrails and leaves of ivy on buildings. Hats get pulled over heads, gloves are pulled from coat pockets as people prepare to go back outside.