First Measure

A rich, roasted aroma led me straight to the kitchen counter. I scaled the slatted wooden chair, using the rung as a steady foothold before slipping onto the cool granite. Beside an ivory mug, the glass container of coffee beans sat uncapped, a brass measuring spoon resting along its base. I surveyed the rim, then reached down to lift a single dark bean. Smooth, slightly oily, and distinct. I placed it squarely into the bowl of the spoon, where it settled with a faint metallic tick. Perfect silence resumed. Exactly how a morning should begin.