there is an exotic flavor twisted into the dark grounds of my coffee this morning. cinnamon and coconut swimming together in the coffee grounds. a little sweet and comforting to start the day. i was reminded by a college friend this weekend of this simple sweet brew. i was grumbling about being tired and he said 'make some coffee, and put cinnamon and coconut in the grounds like nikki always did.' my heart leapt a little. nikki was brilliant. a designer with a warm and open heart. we would spend countless all-nighters working on college publications, meeting deadlines, giddy with fatigue, drinking her coffee. in the moments when it was either late or early, one wasn't sure which, night wasn't quite day like my 20 year old self, either child or adult, i didn't know which. drinking nikki's coffee. this was in the mid 80s, a distant memory, but like yesterday.several years ago nikki was killed in a car accident in michigan. i still find it hard to realize she's gone, because for me she still makes wonderfully witty and biting observations about life and collapses laughing, a warm fun presence in my life. thank you brent, for reminding me of her coffee.
