really hot chocolate

There's this old man who comes into Starbucks almost everyday to get a scalding hot kid's hot chocolate and a venti tuxedo mocha.

The Starbucks I work at is right next to Children's Memorial Hospital in Lincoln Park. We see a lot of doctors and nurses come in and out, as well as family members with lists of drinks to take back to the room where their child has been admitted for anything from a bad cough to a severe case of cancer.

I don't mean to sound depressing, but that's the reality of it.

So this old man has been coming in almost everyday, by himself, since at least November when I first transferred to this store. There would be weeks I would see him everyday and then a week or so would go by without any sight of him. Its like he's an irregular regular... you know he's coming, you just don't know when or how long he's gone stay this time.

I began to enjoy seeing this man when he'd show up day after day, sometimes even twice a day... usually for another tuxedo mocha. He has such a delightful presence and a sweet smile.

Over time I came to find out why he's so irregularly regular. It's because his granddaughter is a regular... to Children's Memorial Hospital.

His 4 year old granddaughter has cancer. She is constantly in and out of the hospital... more in than out. Every day that she's in, he's in there with her. He only leaves her to come over to Starbucks and get her a scalding hot kid's hot chocolate. I used to wonder why he would get it so hot, until the other day he finally said why... "to kill all the germs. I don't let her drink it until it cools down... she's so susceptible to even the littlest of germs."

That explained why the kid's hot chocolate was scalding hot. As for the venti tuxedo mocha, I just assumed it was always for him, but the other day he came in with a cup of 7/11 coffee and still ordered both drinks. "Must not be good coffee," I thought to myself as I stood proudly wearing my Starbucks apron.

As I handed him his change I told him to have a good day, to which he replied "oh I will now, my wife's gotta have her Starbucks and as long as she's happy, I'm happy. I'm just fine with any kind of coffee, it doesn't make any difference to me, but my wife's gotta have her Starbucks."

This man talks in a way that just makes me smile. When you ask him a question he always responds with an answer much longer and more detailed than you were looking for. I think that's what I like about him though, he's very transparent and genuinely interested in what you have to say.

He has come in everyday this week and last, and today I realized that as much as I enjoy seeing him, it's kind of a sad reason that he comes in. He's only in our area when his granddaughter is back in the hospital. She's only back in the hospital when she's not doing well. I realized that if that's the case, then I see this man way more often than I would like to.

I didn't notice him at first when he came in today. I was busy making drinks and I could hear a man talking to a child but I didn't think anything of it... until I heard the drink order... "scalding hot kid's hot chocolate and a venti tuxedo mocha." I looked up and sure enough, it was him. He kept turning around to talk to someone behind him but from the side of the counter I was on, I couldn't see anybody.

As I started to make his drinks I heard him say in a really sweet voice, "don't take your mask off." Right as I was about to think that was a really odd statement, it hit me... "she's here." I have been making this girl's drink for some time now, but have never actually seen her before. I leaned over the counter and there she was... sitting in a stroller. Her bald little head was covered with a felt beanie and she had a breathing mask over her face. All I could see were her bright blue eyes. They were beautiful.

"You brought her with you today!" I said excitedly to her grandpa. He stood proud and responded, "yeap, she insisted on coming with me and I just couldn't say no!"As I handed off his drinks I smiled and waved to his granddaughter. She waved and in a muffled voice from under her mask I heard "thank you."

After they left, I finished cleaning and went on with my day. It's easy not to get too attached to customers... they come and go and without knowing much about them I hand off their drinks and and tell them I hope they have a good day, even if I don't mean it.

I tried to dismiss the thought of this man and his granddaughter as just another customer, but I didn't do so well. I have thought about them all day, and even now at 11pm. People order drinks for other people all the time, and every now and then the people they order for come in and it's funny to finally put a face to the drink, but today it wasn't funny.

This man has been ordering a drink to take to his granddaughter for as long as I've been at this store, and today she finally came in. The difference this time was that I still couldn't put a face to her drink. Covered by a small mask and a felt beanie, she sat patiently in her stroller and waited for her grandpa to get her hot chocolate.

I don't know, nor do I understand, why this four year old girl has cancer. I don't know, nor do I understand, why her 70+ year old grandpa is in better physical health than she is.

I don't know, nor do I understand, why I can't stop thinking about her.

I hope this is just the beginning of writing about her and that I'll get to come back soon and talk about the progress she has made and how well she is doing. And as much as I enjoy seeing her grandpa, I hope the day comes when I see less of him because he doesn't have to order a scalding hot kid's hot chocolate anymore.

I hope one day they'll be back simply for a kid's hot chocolate... and I hope one day I'll finally have the chance to put a face to her drink.