Closed

It happened again today.  I drove up to one of my favorite cafes in a nearby town and was shocked to find it closed.  I don’t mean closed today.  I mean closed forever.  But they knew me there!  They knew I liked those vanilla creamers and my eggs poached hard!  I sat with the engine running, hungry and caffeine-deprived, wondering where I would go for breakfast.  Why didn’t they warn me?  I would have come by to say good-bye.

My favorite grocery store closed a few years ago, but at least they announced it ahead of time.  I was so crestfallen by the announcement, I wrote a letter of thanks to the manager and a “Prayer for the Unemployed” for the employees.  It was still sad, but at least I got to say good-bye in my way.

You see a lot of boarded up businesses these days.  Behind those sad facades are the lives and livelihoods of people who once made those storefronts a life purpose, even a passion.  I think whenever a business closes, they should have a going away party for their patrons and employees.  But instead, all I ever see are those forlorn marquees with the words, “Out of business”.