3
MACEY
The Burrow Bitches
Britney: when i said one of us should be a social media star, this is not what i meant
Macey: OMG. I can’t watch the video.
Macey: This is my worst nightmare.
Ariadne: Is that you…wearing Noah Hansley’s jacket? While yelling at him?
Macey: I can explain.
Ariadne: Coffee. The Burrow Café. 8am tomorrow.
Britney: i’ll be there!
Kira: Brit youwork there
Nestled at the base of The Burrow, the towering corporate building in downtown Chicago, was The Burrow Café, where executives and associates alike stopped in the morning for a cup of coffee on the way up to their office. I was guilty of donating part of my salary to them twice each week. As much as I wanted to buy coffee there every day, my office did have a coffee machine.
The interior was bathed in a soft, amber glow, sunlight filtering through floor-to-ceiling windows and casting long shadows across the polished wooden floors. Above, exposed industrial pipes crisscrossed the ceiling. It always smelled like freshly ground beans here.
Local artwork adorned the walls and plush leather couches were scattered throughout. The couch in the left corner was ours. Not officially, but after a year of meeting here every Monday morning before work, the regulars knew to leave it open for us.
The whirr of the espresso machine punctuated the air as Kira and I entered, followed by the rhythmic clink of ceramic cups and saucers.
“Do you want your usual?” I asked as Kira went to claim the couch.
“Please!” she called, halfway to the other side of the room.
Kira and I had lived together for six years, but we’d known each other since we were ten. She didn’t realize it at the time, but she was my first real friend. There were kids in class I’d talked to, maybe even did homework with after school, but no one I connected with.
I’d never forget meeting Kira on the monkey bars at school. I dangled from the first bar, terrified to swing forward, until I saw a smiling face at the end encouraging me to go.
We’d been best friends ever since.
And in the past six years of drinking coffee, Kira’s order—chai latte—had never changed. She liked the familiar. I preferred to keep my taste buds guessing.
“Good morning!” a beautiful barista clad in an apron adorned with a muffin logo said. Britney. “Chai latte for Kira, I know. What do you want, Macey?”
“Iced vanilla latte, please. Extra shot of espresso.”
I needed it. A bundle of fear curdled inside my stomach, and I hoped espresso would kill it. Although I technically didn’t do anything wrong this weekend, I was afraid my boss would use this as an opportunity to punish or even fire me.
It wasn’t a secret in my office that she disliked me. Most days it felt like she was constantly breathing down my neck. It felt unfair, receiving the sharp edge of her frustration while others only saw the blunt side. But what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, or so I’d heard.
Britney winked and started the espresso machine. “You got it.”
Sometimes I thought the men of The Burrow didn’t come here for its coffee so much as they did for its barista. Britney’s fiery locks cascaded like molten copper down her shoulders. Her eyes, a mesmerizing shade of emerald green, always sparkled with a mischievous twinkle. Porcelain smooth complexion, with freckles dusted across her nose. And double-Ds that begged me to stare at them.
It was like she had been hand-drawn by a male artist. With a sigh, I glanced down at my body—the near-flat chest and distinct lack of freckles made me feel almost insignificant, but then I remembered all the amazing things my body could do. Run a 5k. Store all the nutrients I needed to stay healthy. Birth a literal human being, if I wanted.
I wasn’t immune to insecurities, but comparing myself to other people wouldn’t make them go away anytime soon.
Besides, when I thought about Britney or any of my friends,it was never physical appearance that came to mind. I thought about Britney’s tenaciousness every day, working at this café while attending law school. Kira’s selflessness, volunteering every week. Ariadne’s relentless positivity in difficult times. And how we wouldn’t all know each other without this café.
