May 2, 2012

My dearest,

“Here, hold it like this,” you instruct. “A little bit lower.”

“But the beans will fall off the dish if it’s too low,” I warn.

“Not too low then. A little bit to the right now.”

The girl from the café smiles. She is used to the two of us, arguing back and forth over food styling and camera angles. She waits patiently for us to finish before removing the dish of hand-roasted coffee beans. A Mandheling peaberry. The beans are ground then offered to us for sniffing (and a repeat of the entire food styling and photography ritual) before finally brewed into a perfect little cup of coffee.

“It smells wonderful,” I say.

“It does,” you agree.

“Okay, so do you want me to hold the cup of coffee or shall I leave it on the table?”

“Maybe hold it close to your lips as though you are drinking but not quite…”

Yours, ever and always.