THE SINGING BARISTA
The Singing Barista was written for a very special friend of Mike and Esther. Thomas is a barista at the Hardware Café in Titirangi, just up the road from where Mike and Esther live. It's a book about coffee, music...and love. Here is the full story along with sample of the illustrations, which were a joint effort from Heathermeg and Simon J Fletcher
The Singing Barista
Thomas makes fabulous coffee.
The aroma of the beans
And the warmth of the village
Draws people from miles around.
The people come to drink coffee and chat.
And they come to listen to Thomas.
Thomas likes to sing as he makes coffee.
He is the Singing Barista.
First thing in the morning
Ralph needs to knock back a Ristretto - bold and full.
He’s so busy; he has clients to meet
And no time to stop, not even on weekends.
Thomas sings,
“Slow down, you move too fast
You gotta make the morning last,
Just kickin' down the cobblestones
Lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy.”
Joe and Mike both like Flat Whites - smooth as silk.
They are old school mates
And once each week they catch up,
For coffee and breakfast.
Thomas sings,
“The road is long with many a winding turn,
That leads us to who knows where, who knows where?
But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him.
He ain't heavy, he's my brother”.
Jo always used to have a Cappuccino
And Thomas made it just the way she liked it.
Then she decided only drink a Macchiato.
And only Thomas could make it just the way she liked.
But now Jo is sure she will only ever drink a Westpresso.
It is quite a uniquely West Auckland drink.
And believe it or not
It's Thomas’ own creation!
Thomas sings,
“She’s a mod, she’s a mod, she’s a mod, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
She’s a mod, she’s a mod, she’s a mod, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
She’s a mod, she’s a mod,
She won’t change anymore”.
Jane and Andy like to play Five Hundred.
Andy drinks a Long Black, strong and flavoursome.
Jane has a Mocha loaded with small pink marshmallows.
She wins with a call of nine No Trumps!
Thomas sings,
“So you win again, you win again,
Here I stand again, the loser”.
And just for fun you took my love and run,
But love had just begun.
Jackson is a coffee guru
And it doesn’t really matter to him what sort of coffee he drinks.
Today he hops on his Vespa and rides to the Hardware Café.
He decides to have an Affogato - it puts a big smile on his face.
Thomas sings,
“When you’re smilin’, when you’re smilin’,
The whole world smiles with you.
And when you're laughin', When you're laughin'
The sun comes shinin' through”.
Edgar likes an Americano — steaming hot!
He is from Brazil and he misses his family.
His dad, his mum and his brothers;
The coffee reminds him of his home.
Thomas sings,
“I am flying, I am flying,
Like a bird ‘cross the sky.
I am flying, passing high clouds,
To be with you, to be free”.
As well as the regulars, there are always new faces.
Some are there just once and then gone forever.
Others return and in time they become the new regulars.
A girl has recently started coming to the Hardware Café.
She is called Maria and she is a new regular.
Maria is beautiful.
She has olive skin and green eyes.
Maria doesn’t drink coffee,
She drinks black tea with lemon.
When Thomas sees Maria,
He doesn’t know what to do.
His heart goes boom, boom, boom!
His hands feel all sweaty and he drops a cup.
His eyes should be watching the coffee orders,
But all he can see is Maria.
Thomas tries to sing for Maria,
But no words come out of his mouth.
He can’t even talk.
“Hello Thomas”, says Maria.
Thomas smiles.
“You’ve stopped singing; is something wrong?” asks Maria.
Thomas shakes his head.
“Your songs are like the sunlight, Thomas
And I love the way you brighten everyone’s day.
I come here just to hear you sing!
But why don’t you ever sing for me?”
Thomas shrugs.
“Well if you won’t sing for me”, says Maria “I will sing for you!”
“You are the sunshine of my life,
That’s why I’ll always be around,
You are the apple of my eye,
Forever you’ll stay in my heart”.
Tears well up in Thomas’ eyes.
“Thank you for singing to me”, says Thomas;
“Now, can I make something special for you?”
“Yes, of course”, says Maria.
Thomas makes Maria a Chai Latte.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t a coffee”, says Thomas.
“It’s kind of a tea coffee drink”.
Maria laughs out loud,
Then she takes a sip.
“It’s lovely, just lovely”, says Maria.
Thomas can’t contain himself any longer,
And he bursts into song.
“The first time ever I saw your face,
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave,
To the dark and the empty skies, my love,
To the dark and the empty skies.”
Maria is absolutely speechless.
Then she looks at Thomas and sings.
“If I had words to make a day for you
I’d sing you a morning golden and new”
Thomas laughs and sings back to Maria.
“I would make this day last for all time
And give you a night wrapped in moonshine”.
Everyone in the Hardware Café claps,
For Thomas the Singing Barista,
And for Maria.
Illustrations from The Singing Barista
