My Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Story

Guys, please allow me to share an anecdote about my sister. Thank you for your patience. I’m going through Steve Pavlina’s self-discovery exercises right now as well as managing pigmata.com. I may take the RFP program soon… if only I got a discount.

My Sister’s Sandwich

“Could you check on Mavic? She’s been throwing tantrums about something at Coffee Bean — I don’t know what she’s crying about.” Mom welcomed me on my Sunday visit.
“What are you talking about?”
“We went to ATC yesterday and she wanted to order something you got for her but she didn’t know what it was called.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“She was so upset,” Mom continued, “she couldn’t sleep last night.”
I went upstairs to look for my 14-year-old sister. Mavic was in my parents’ bedroom watching anime. I kissed her cheek.
“What did you want from Coffee Bean?”
Her face crumpled at the memory.
“We ordered it before. Sandwich.” She babbled, “You ordered when Mommy. Before. The sandwich!”
I racked my brains to recall a time when we ate at Coffee Bean. At Alabang Town Center?
“The pesto breadsticks I from Tea Square? The stall near Coffee Bean?”
I never buy cake at Coffee Bean ATC. Once I bought a revel bar — didn’t like it. But I do buy at Greenbelt or Convergys… why exactly?
“No! We waited for Mommy.”
Hmm… we waited for Mommy. In Makati? Just that one time.
I suggested Mavic to order my usual sandwich…
“Roast chicken chipotle sandwich? With foccaccia bread? There’s chicken inside and a little green?”
“Yeah that!” A smile broke through my sister’s was-clouded face.
I stood up to look for a scrap of paper and pen.
“Here. Keep this in your wallet.” I wrote Roast chicken chipotle sandwich. P169.

The following Sunday, we visited our Lola in Malamig, Laguna. From Laguna, we went straight to University Belt to pick up Tricia’s stuff then back to Alabang — to get that elusive gourmet sandwich! Mavic and I walked to Coffee Bean in ATC… and the sandwich was out of stock.