“Should we start walking?” Ariane looks at her watch and looks at me as she knows we have to be back well before we leave at 9:30am. I look at my watch and see that it’s 6:55am just like we planned, and we start our walk to Mugg & Bean.
We walk out of the hostel and down the hill to the Gables strip mall. The barren parking lot proves that we are most likely the only customers that committed to being at our destination shortly after sunrise. We turn the corner and immediately start giggling to ourselves. We really are the only people in the entire place. We see the Mugg & Bean signs and march towards it, for the 6th time over the past 4 days. Surely the employees are tired of seeing our faces, but none the less we walk in with confidence in what we came for.
The waiter Linda greets us with his warm smile and African accent.
“Welcome back ladies!” His jovial smile gives us a sigh of relief. The chairs weren’t off the table before we showed up, but we have to go one last time before leaving to Madagascar in 2 hours. He tells us we can sit where we please, and we figure it’s because we have become regulars in 4 short days. After barely glancing at the menu we know exactly what we want and Linda comes over to take our order.
“What will it be ladies?”
“I’ll have an ice brewed coffee with condensed milk, and the m&b classic with scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast.”
“Ok got it. And for you ma’am?”
“I’ll have the mocha java and the American iced coffee. All of this will be to go, by the way.” Ariane adds the most important fact, seeing as how my only thought was on food. We had to be back with more than enough time to get debriefed about the travel plans, and it was already close to 7:30am.
“You’re not going to stay?” Linda asks.
“No, we’re leaving Swaziland today at 9:30am.”
“Oh ok no problem,” and he throws up the hang loose sign, and goes to put in our order. Ariane and I continue to laugh at the fact that we had no shame walking into this coffee shop for the 6th time. We got up at 5:30am so we could have ample time to shower, pack, and get there right when it opened at 7am.
Linda gives us our drinks and asks if he can top off Ariane’s coffee a little more if she’d like. I see my food come out, and now my mouth waters. He takes it over to the computer, and then walks up to the hosts station. Why Linda why. I woke up at 5:30am for this food.
Linda finally comes over, and gives me my food in two brown bags.
The aroma fills my nose with the sweet smell of toasted bread and seasoned breakfast potatoes.
“This is for you ladies, thanks so much.” Linda walks away and tends to another customer who just walked in. Ariane and I look at each other and instantly melt. He wrote us a letter, and it was then that the Lord affirmed in us, that His goodness fills every space.
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We pay for our food and give Linda a big hug and tell him how wonderful he and the staff at Mugg & Bean have been. Our last memory in Swazi, was that of a gift from a local named Linda. It reminded me how far a kindness and a genuine smile will go.
Love,
Alisha
