Starbucks for the first time

"There she is", said my travelling friend Ee. Seeing us in the mirror, the elderly lady slowly turned in her chair and waved at us.
"Is it mandatory?", I asked Ee. 
"I think it is", she replied somewhat cautiously and reluctantly. We walked to the table where the lady had stood to greet us.
"Sawadee Ka", I greeted her, clasping my hands together in the prayer like formation known as the wâi. She motioned us to sit and began to dote on us, clearing our empty plates, refilling our drinks and commanding the waiters who seemed to know her well. It felt a little wrong for her to be looking after us when I felt that I should be looking after her. Her pleasantries would never stop however. This was the first meeting for what would become a welcome daily breakfast ritual.


Weeks later, I was still healing from surgery and some days were easier for me than others.  My travelling partners had gone to visit a market (or rather, a lot of markets) in Pratunam but I had been having a very difficult morning both physically and emotionally and decided it would be best if I stayed behind. That afternoon, I came to the conclusion that staying in my hotel room wasn't doing me any good either and a short visit to the Seacon shopping centre next door was order. A thought crossed my mind and brought a smile to my face.


"Could you tell me what room Bimu is in?", I asked at reception. Two ladies were on duty and they looked at me quizzically for moment. "Bimu?", I repeated unsure if I had remembered the name correctly. I could spot the moment when recognition struck. 
"Oh, Pa Moo", they replied. Everyone here knew Pa Moo, she was a long term regular. "Would you like to leave a message?"
"Uhm, no. I'd like to visit her. I know she's on the same floor as me, but I don't know which room. Would you be able to give me her room number?"
I must have a trustworthy face, since the lady gave me her room number but with uncertainty in her voice as if it wasn't something she should be doing. I thanked her gratefully and proceed back up the elevator.


I rang the doorbell and heard the rushed, yet slow, patter of footsteps inside. A joyful expression of surprise crossed her face when she opened the door. 
"What are you doing? Are you busy?", I asked politely.
"Watching tv", she replied in her decent but broken English.
"Can you walk?", I asked. I knew that she was staying at the hotel because she had some medical condition that affected her ability to walk. I thought it was her legs but I later learned it was her heart.
"Would you like to have a cup of coffee?", I continued. "We can walk to Starbucks." Every morning at breakfast, she had two cups of coffee. I asked her one morning if she liked coffee shops and if she liked Starbucks to which she enthusiastically had said yes. I personally have never stepped foot in a Starbucks before. Being fortunate enough to live in a place where excellent, not just decent, coffee can be found in many cafe's, I'd been spoilt and refused to indulge at chain stores that cannot live up to local offerings. But I wasn't in my home town any more... 


"I have friend coming to visit in thirty minutes", she replied.
"Oh, that's okay. We can go another time", I responded trying to hide my disappointment. I mustn't have done a very good job because after another couple of minutes of chit chat, she suddenly asked, "You want to go now?"
"Uhm, yes. If you are free", I said in surprise. 
"You wait for me. Give me few minutes to get ready."


A few minutes later, Pa Moo came out of her room and met me in front of the elevators. We slowly walked out of the hotel and I found that her slow pace was perfect for me since I was still recovering from surgery and was slower than a snail myself. I kept an eye on Pa Moo as she walked along slowly but steadily, a slight hunch to her otherwise short but healthy looking frame. She didn't have a fragile appearance, but I was wary since looks can be so deceiving. Whenever we crossed a stair or a kerb, she held my hand and I supported her as we stepped up or down. As usual, it was hot outside and she didn't like the heat, but we only had to endure it for a few minutes before we were inside the shopping centre that was literally across the road. 


Pa Moo asked me to lead the way as she didn't know where Starbucks was here. In fact, this was the first time she had stepped foot inside this shopping centre. That came as a surprise since she usually didn't have much to do during the days and the centre was so conveniently close. I continually checked up on her to make sure she was ok and she assured me she was even if she was a little tired. A slight panic crossed my mind as my sense of direction was horrible and I didn't want to make her walk further than necessary. Ultimately, I didn't have to worry since I remembered where it was when we came to the first atrium and soon we were inside.


I dug around in my bag for my purse and found it eventually. Pa Moo was far more efficient and had managed to pull some notes out of an outfit which didn't look like it had any pockets. That wasn't going to matter though and after a little bit of typical Asian type pleasant arguing, I convinced her that I was going to buy the coffee; one iced and one frappacino. We were offered free samples of some cakes which we both declined, her because of her heart condition and me because of my waist condition. Pa Moo asked me where I wanted to sit and I saw a nice table next the window overlooking the atrium so I made my way there to reserve it. Placing my donut cushion on the seat, I then did the post-op ritual of trying to get comfortable which is a huge, practically impossible task. This fell right into Pa Moo's clever ruse, since while I was doing that, she had been waiting for the coffees and was about to bring them over. I couldn't let her do that, so I stood up as quickly as I could in my condition and snail walked my way over to her just in time.


Back at the table, we happily drank our cold coffees and made some small talk despite the language barriers. Really, her English was quite good and much better than my Thai, even if I can count to ten. She was happy and smiling to be out and about but at the same time she told me how sad she was going to be because I was going to be going home soon. It was one of those touching happy and sad moments which I found remarkable since we really had only known each other over a few weeks of breakfasts. She was bravely trying not to cry which was good because I would have bawled too had she started. We finished our coffees, instead, with sweet empathy. 


"You are very pretty and sexy and I am happy to be walking with you", she said, holding my hand as we walked back to the hotel. She really knew how to flatter me and leave me feeling all shy and embarrassed. This wasn't the first time she had voluntarily looked after some of the doctor's guests, and her entire demeanour exuded compassion, kindness and honesty. As we left the centre, she motioned to the centre's little Buddhist shrine that had been built at the corner and she clasped her hands together and bowed slightly. I followed suit.


That was my first visit to Starbucks and I couldn't have arranged for a better circumstance or person to share it with.