You can listen to my audio recording of my story by pressing “play” below and/or read the full text below:
“Coffee and Cotton Candy” by P.J. Kaiser
Michael lay the phone in it’s cradle. He’d been expecting the news in the same way you expect winter to follow autumn. But just as you can never quite prepare yourself for bone-chilling temperatures, you can never prepare your heart for loss. Poor Vincent. Michael’s friend’s voice had been shaking as he gave Michael the news that Sage was gone.
Michael cupped his mug of coffee in both hands and shuffled to the breakfast table. Sinking into the chair, he tried to distract his thoughts.
He squinted out the window, past the flowery lace curtains Emily had hung there years ago, and caught a glimpse of the sun. He always felt a vague sense of whiplash on sunny days, knowing that the earth travels at thirty kilometers per second in its daily trek around the sun. He remembered Emily teasing him when he would spout astronomical trivia. The way her eyes and nose crinkled when she laughed made him smile for a moment.
The warmth from the coffee mug seeped into his fingers as he clutched it and gazed at the deep brown liquid. He wished Emily had made his coffee. She always had a way of choosing just the right amount of grounds to use. These bland coffee beans tasted doubly bland since he scrimped on beans. Since Emily died, he hadn’t had his favorite coffee from Veracruz that she used to buy uptown. The coffee shop smelled of musk with a hint of cinnamon that was too close to Emily’s essence. He couldn’t bring himself to go into the shop.
Twenty-seven years of marriage. One year for every day it takes the moon to orbit the earth. Shifting in his chair, he tried to focus his eyes on the newspaper. The newsprint looked like it was drowning as his tears welled. His mind kept straying back to the phone call.
Sage. Her presence on the planet had always been enough for him; it didn’t matter that they weren’t together. They had spent one afternoon together at the county fair years ago when her Vincent and his Emily had fallen sick at the last moment before their double date. He had allowed himself to swim, just for a few hours, in the depths of her azure eyes.
He had not realized she was afraid of heights until the ferris wheel swung through its highest point and she clutched at his arm, her face pale in spite of the August sun. As their car made its wobbly descent, he sang songs and helped her through her fear. Chiding her gently, he suggested she avoid ferris wheels. But in reality he was grateful for her lapse in judgement that allowed him to come to her rescue.
They celebrated surviving the ferris wheel with two pink clouds of cotton candy. He stole one sweet, sugary kiss as she drew him into her orbit. Even though she only glanced over her shoulder when he took her back home, he waited. And hoped. But two months later, Sage and Vincent announced their engagement and Michael knew he waited in vain. He mustered the strength to achieve an escape velocity. Even as he settled into his new trajectory around Emily, he felt Sage’s gravitational pull.
But now Sage had succumbed to the cancer that had been wreaking havoc on her for four years. Some would savor the freedom, but he felt as though he were careening through space. Memories: that’s all he would have of her now. Maybe that’s all he ever had.
He pushed his chair away from the table and decided to go for a walk. He had a craving for coffee from Veracruz.
Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. By the way, I adore constructive criticism 
I enjoyed the story and it pulled me in, especially after realizing that that his affection for "the one that got away" was equal to or even greater than that his own wife. Very good story.
That was great, PJ! Love is never easy, always complicated, and you paint the scene without too much sugar, which makes it more real and more inspired.
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Excellent tale. Sad for him all around. Glad he can finally manage to get his favorite coffee, though!
The astronomical language from the 4th-from-last paragraph was very cute. Good story, PJ.
Lovely story, PJ. I loved how he gets whiplash on sunny days thinking of the earth spinning. Great astronomical imagery throughout.
I hope he can find the nerve to go to that coffee shop.
Blessed sorrow. Blessed memories. Wow. Will not be easy to recover from this read.
"Maybe that’s all he ever had."
What a touching story of unrequited love. There are some many words that go unsaid. There are so many paths we do not choose. With his return to the coffee shop it sounds like he might have possibly found some resolution.
I think the story goes on. Does he make it to the coffee shop but can't quite enter it? Does he take a seat just outside and finds comfort in that? PJ, I do hope you continue this story. Though it is the perfect short story, the character has so much more to say.
Beautiful and sad. I love the way you weaved in the astronomical references. And I enjoyed listening to you read it.
Brilliant ending. Just what the doctor ordered.
Aw, it's sad in a way that it takes the death of the one he truly loved to get over the death of another. It's the little details that make this one tick.
I agree with the others. The astronomical language was clever and fun. The story unfolded at a great pace and gave us a lot to think about. Great job!
PJ, this was beautiful and brilliant. All the little details make a big difference. Well done!
Nice imagery of the moment he had with. I wonder if Michael knew… Lovely story!
Great story PJ! Very sad and touching, brilliant title too. Enjoyed the audio and all the details you've worked in. Excellent piece, well done.
Poor guy, I really felt for him. Its good though that he managed to overcome one death by the other though, in that he could now go for coffee at his favorite place.
Nice work, great emotional pulls all over the place in this
Nice. You deflected the almost unavoidable sentimentality of this story with the repeated astronomical references, little touches of science, which also worked so well to echo his feelings of "orbiting" Sage, and Emily for that matter. I especially liked "Memories: that’s all he would have of her now. Maybe that’s all he ever had." Of course. An important little epiphany. Great writing, P.J.
What a lovely story and reading! I enjoyed the details, especially the clouds of cotton candy and all the astronomical references and metaphors. The coffee at the end was perfect.
That was excellent!
Now if you'll excuse me I think I have something in my eye… snif…
You guys – I truly can't thank you enough for these terrific comments! This has been one of those stories that has been rolling around in my head for some time – a few months, actually – and getting it onto the page has been difficult, but rewarding. I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it
I am so glad I came and read this, I do love it. Such bittersweet sentiments for the "one that got away" as well as the loss of his wife. Poor guy!
I hope he enjoys his coffee now he feels able to cope with it again…
Rebecca – Thanks so much for stopping by and reading. Glad you enjoyed it
Beautiful little story (and told well, both in the text and in the reading). Thanks for sharing it.
Ryan – Thanks so much for checking out my story – glad you enjoyed it