The Gift
By 4:36 am he had completed every item on the checklist; that left about half an hour before his first regular customer normally arrived—plenty of time to perform a Net search for topics that might be of interest to his customers. He positioned himself near the front door, poised with his greeting smile reflecting back at him from the sparkling glass he’d recently polished. Eyes bright. Handlebar mustache swept up like a grin. Chin set. Shoulders square. His green company apron was as crisp as a military salute and the Java Joe’s corporate logo emblazoned across it looked so real you could almost smell the aromatic steam curling up from the mug. As the first gentle wave of sunshine washed over the avenue outside and mist lifted from the pavement like a curtain rising on the opening act of a play, Joe 59 arrived at the same conclusion that he reached every morning; by any measure, his was the best of all possible coffee shops.
Unexpectedly, the shop’s OS interrupted his Net search with a Level Pink environmental alarm.
“What is it?” he demanded of the OS.
SENSOR READINGS INDICATE A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT THERE IS A BIOLOGICAL PRESENCE IN THE SHOP, droned the OS.
Joe 59 froze. There was something alive in here? His cogware began kicking out hypotheses, examining them, rejecting most and setting aside others for further testing. The last time the OS had detected a biological presence it had turned out to be an ant that Joe 59 identified as Tapinoma sessile—the odorous house ant; the uninvited insect had come within millimeters of falling into the espresso machine’s bean hopper! Only Joe 59’s deft rescue employing a biodegradable Java Joe’s swizzle stick and courtesy napkin had averted a major catastrophe.
MAY I SUGGEST….
“Not now, Shop!” Joe 59 silenced the shop’s OS. He had to concentrate. The clock was ticking and Mr. Kilmer–his first customer most mornings–was always punctual and fussy. There was no time to lose. Unauthorized biological entities roaming the shop introduced the possibility of a less than ideal Java Joe’s experience, which was simply not acceptable. He decided it was safe to rule out the presence of a concealed human being; Joe 59 had no illusions about how clumsy, noisy, messy and obvious humans were. The presence of a large, carnivorous animal, such as a bear, lion, crocodile or a bioengineered birdosaurs was equally unlikely to be concealed under the shop’s little café tables or behind the artificial fig tree in the corner. Thank goodness. But mice, rats or squirrels might find numerous places to hide away. The danger of rodent-born plague and an ensuing pandemic was a sobering thought. His reputation as a provider of fine coffee experiences was on the line.
