Paulie and the coffee machine.

TING

The door swung open casually as a tall, lanky boy with pale skin and shoulder length dark hair walked in. He wore glasses and focused his eyes on Lilith.
'Hey, I'm Paulie, sorry I'm a bit late. What time is it?'
'It's 8.15 I think, I'm Lil.'
'Hey Lil'. 'So, you found your way down here alright? The ol' man show you in?'
'Yeah, he gave me a set of keys actually.'
'Well, he's turned the machine on which is whack,' he said approaching the machine and dumping his rucksack behind a curtain which appeared to lead to a kitchen. 'come over here and I'll start showin you the goods.'
Paulie was so tall he had to bend down a bit to see into the tray of the coffee machine but she guessed he weighed about as much as she did.
'So this is the baby and he's called Tim,' he said stroking the metal with a long hand. 'you'll respect him, I'm sure, as we all do.' 'He's a sweet thing if you treat him well... alright'.

He pulled out spouts that hissed, clamped something on, tore something off and set the coffee grinder whizzing. A cloud of bitter smoke belched into the air as he slammed the lid on the grinder shut and steam poured outfrom under the counter as he kikcked the hatch open to reveal a dishwasher tucked away under there. He shouted at her: 'I'd prefer not to use a dishwasher because of the electricity or whatever but Mr Forester like things clean and makes us use it,' and he pulled out some white cups which he clanged on top of the coffee machine. Then he shouted:
'We keep the cups here but there are different cups for some customers, the regulars, i don't expect you to know who they are but I'm pretty sure they'll be tellin' ya if you do something wrong or give them the wrong cup. They can be pretty mouthy.' Lilith raised her eyebrows and nodded her head. Suddenly the noise stopped as the coffee grinder whizzed off with the flick of a switch and Paulie whipped round:
'Alright, this is super important, this is the cream of the shot. So, you knock the old stuff out like this [WHACK] and you slide in some new stuff [another belch of coffee dust] then you knock it and press down hard with one of these. This is extremely important and you don't want to get an uneven pack or it will taste bitter and shit. Following me?' Lilith nodded.
'Come closer, stop looking scared.' So she leaned in closer and peered around his large bony shoulder.
'Now, puch it up here nice and hard and then you start the water flow. See how it looks nice and creamy and it's whipping around like a mouse tail?'
'Yeah'
'That's what you want. Nice and slow and steady and when it hits the cup it should hit on the side, not the middle, and leave a creamy layer of espresso. If there's no creamy bit, you've done it wrong.' He said looking at her straight in the eye and pointing a finger horizontally. She looked away quickly and pursed her lips.
'Pretty daunting stuff.'
'So, try it now, I'll drink your one and you can have mine, which of course is excellent,' he said, his eyes twinkling playfully. So, Lilith moved over to the machine and it felt much larger in front of her. The tray came right up to her chest and her eyes didn't even make it over the top of the machine so she had to fling her hand up there and feel around for a cup.
'Right, start with the coffee.. ok, take a cup, it doesn't really matter which first.' Paulie said making to get up and then leaning back against the counter again. Lilith tentatively opened the coffee tray which already had some burnt cakes of coffee in it and hit the filter holder out over a wooden bar. [THUD].
'That was pathetic'. He said as half the cake had crumbled out leaving the rest stuck in the holder. So she went for the opposite and [BANG] the whole thing came out in one, heavy, cut.
'Wow, ying yang, get the balance. Oh, watch the handle...' He made to get up again and as she shot him a look he backed off on to the counter.
'What now?'
'Fresh coffee' He said. So, she felt around for the switch with her left hand and set the grinder buzzing.
'ALL OUT COFFEE IS FAIRTRADE BY THE WAY.' Shouted Paulie over the noise.
'WHAT?' Shouted Lilith with her back turned.
'I SAID ALL OUR COFFEE IS...[the grinder stopped] FAIRTRADE!' 'Ow, my head hurts,' thought Lilith to herself as she felt last night's alcohol coming back to the edge of her throat. She swallowed hard.
'Pack it in,' Said the voice which was annoying her increasingly from behind. So, she swund the heavy coffee filter back up into the machine and flicked the espresso button. The coffee flew out at break-neck spead and looked like gritty, dirty water. It was finished in about five seconds, unlike the cool, creamy thirty seconds it took Paulie and she looked down at it, rolling her eyes to herself.
'Show me' Said the perky voice. She picked up the cup with withering pride and handed it to him.
'Hmm' he said as he swirled around the dark mixture to reveal surfacing coffee grunk.
'It takes practice'.
'So, come back tomorrow and you have your first shift. I'm going off to France for five days, my parents have a vineyard out there.' Really? Lilith thought to herself.
'Oh, you just look... um, a vineyard?'.
'Yeah, they grow organic grapes and mash them on the spot. It's totally legit and they're actually starting to make some money, which is great.'
'Wow, the life of the bean and the grape.'
'Totally, man'. 'Good to meet you and just show up at 8am tommorow'. Do you have keys?'
'I have keys but not a clue how to make coffee.' She rolled her eyes sarcastically.
'You'll be fine. The customers are totally astute. They'll sort you out, just chill.'
'Ok, but I think I might stay here this afternoon, it's just I don't really have any othe rplans, so I'll just watch you or whatever'.
'Don't watch me... uh, but you can have this coffee and sit on the sofa.'
'Sweet,' she said as she sipped her second creamy coffee of the morning and sunk into the leather sofa nursing her head.