Happy Holidays

Clark awoke on Monday, April 20th, feeling like today was a holiday he’d forgotten.

And then, he remembered: it was a day that the world celebrated one of its greatest plants, an organic substance that, once processed, helped many people get through a grueling day.

Coffee!

But wait, no, Clark remembered, it wasn’t just coffee day. It was National Cold Brew Coffee Day.

Ugh.

It seemed unfair to Clark that a holiday would require you to prepare the day before. After all, cold brew coffee needed to steep overnight. Right?

Except, actually, that wasn’t the case! After all, hadn’t Clark bought one of those Dorothy Rapid Cold Brewers from his favorite deal site? He set it up and got ready for work. Twenty-five minutes later, he poured the cold brew into his to-go cup and went to catch the bus.

And wow, many of the other passengers appeared to be fellow cold brew celebrators. Some even appeared to have been indulging for many hours, their eyes bloodshot from all the coffee, their countenances mellow, as if they’d already begun coming down from the mild energy buzz.

And I thought I was a coffee addict!, Clark thought.

He sat next to a man who gave off an odor Clark couldn’t quite place.

Clark gave him a smile and raised his cup. “Happy holidays,” he said.

“Happy holidays indeed,” the man said.

After that, he turned to the woman sitting next to him, who seemed to be suffering from a similar caffeine hangover. They began chatting low and giggling about enjoying “a bit more of the greenery” later.

Of course! Green coffee beans! They must’ve roasted them themselves! That would explain the smoky scent wafting off them. But then, if they still smelled like the roasting process, they must’ve done it this morning.

Which didn’t make sense, given how long it took to make cold brew… unless they were talking about something other than coffee?

Or maybe they had a rapid cold brewer just like him!

Yeah, Clark thought. That must be it.