He who Sows Winds will Reap in Whirlwinds: Part I

She stepped up to the counter. The badge on his shirt said Alex. More information that she didn't need but that was thrust on her. "Can I help you?", he grinned like a big, cheery ape. "Yes, a Marble Mocha to go, please", she tried to hide her impatience. If only she could just say what she was thinking, which would have been, "Watcha gotta smile about, you grinning lout, working as you are as a waiter and selling overpriced coffee to folks who have a lifestyle that can never be yours! So wipe that smirk off your face and get me a Marble Mocha. Make it snappy!" Maybe a pleasant smile afterwards, to show that there were no hard feelings. He buzzed around putting her frapaccino together, like it was an art form or something. Really, people took pride in absurdities. As she was paying up, she glanced quickly out of the shop window at the apartment entrance opposite. He chose that moment to step out of the shade of the apartment awning. Oh shit! She should have known! One minute to get a coffee and he decides to make his move then. She thrust ten bucks blindly on the counter and left clutching her coffee. She put her glasses on as she ducked out of the shop and scanned the street to see where he'd gone. She saw the tail of his coat whip around the corner of Times and Shakespeare. She hurried after him. She remembered the Teacher's monotonous voice, "Always blend in". Well, hurrying definitely made her blend in. This was the country where everyone bustled, after all. She rounded the corner and saw him waiting to cross the road. He crouched in his longcoat, huddling against the sharp wind that had sprung up out of nowhere. She lingered outside a shop window. Lingerie. Just her luck, stand looking at clothing that she could never imagine buying, or having bought for her, she thought wryly.