The Salty Coffee

Happy Sunday everyone! It is exactly 12:10 in the morning as I'm writing this. I know, I have a very messed up body clock. Blame my preference for reading novels and blogs at this time of the day! So as I was trying to clean up my computer files, I found this short story which my friend sent me way back high school. She told me she found it over the internet. I think I was around fourteen around then. Oh wow, that's six years from today. Time flies! We even edited out some parts as we made a comic strip about it. Unfortunately  that comic strip is nowhere to be found. Anyway, this story was just so heartwarming. It's simple but very inspirational. I really liked it and I hope you guys will like it too...

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He met her at a party. She was so outstanding while he was bland and plain normal. Nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the event, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised but polite as she was, she agreed. 

They sat in a nice coffee shop. He was too nervous to say anything. They sat there for hours. Feeling uncomfortable she asked to go home. He suddenly called for the waiter, "Would you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee." Everybody stared at him. This guy is strange! Who would ever want salt in his coffee? His face turned red but still he poured the salt into the mug, stirred and drank it. 

She asked him curiously, "Why do you have this hobby?" 

He replied, "When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing along the shore. I could taste the sea breeze when I drink my salty coffee. Every time I do so, I always think of my childhood, my hometown. I miss home so much. I miss my parents." While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. He was speaking from the bottom of his heart. A man who can talk about home that way must be a man who loves it, cares about it and has a sense of responsibility towards it. Then she also started to speak about herself, her hometown, her childhood, her family.

From then on, they became good friends and constantly met at the usual cafe. Soon after they dated. She found out that he was a man who actually meets all her demands. He had tolerance, was kind-hearted, warm and caring. If not for his salty coffee, she would have left. Thinking back, she would have hated herself if she had.

Then like every beautiful fairy tale, the princess married the prince and then they were living the happy life. Every time she made coffee for him, she adds salt instead of sugar as she knew that's the way he liked it.

After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said, 

"My dearest, please forgive me. Forgive my whole life's lie. The only lie I ever told you. The salty coffee. Remember that day at the cafe? I was so nervous that I couldn't even speak. I think I swallowed my tongue. I actually wanted some sugar but trembling as I was I blurted out salt instead. Everyone was staring at me and I figured that if I changed what I said, everyone in the room would laugh at me. You'd laugh at me. So I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our happy ever after. I tried to tell you the truth many times but I was too afraid to do that. I didn't want you to hate me. But now that I'm dying, there's no other chance for me to tell you the truth. Salty coffee was awful. The taste was so strange. I'd have to choke it down hard so I won't puke. It did remind me of home as my mom would often make coffee for my dad especially when the sea breeze was so chilly. But why did I keep drinking it? Because it was the reason I got to know you even better. You are my biggest treasure. Like the sea breeze, you remind me of happy thoughts. If I can live another life, I'd ask for you over again even if I had to drink that salty coffee for an eternity."

Her tears dampened the letter. He loved her and she loved him. She hugged herself to sleep that night while hloding the letter and his favorite mug close to her.

One day, her little granddaughter came up to her and asked. "What's the taste of salty coffee grandma? Mommy tells me that grandpa loved putting salt in his coffee." 

To that she replied. "It's sweet darling."

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How about you? How do you like your coffee?