[Short Story] Does the middle-aged man hate middle-aged men?
Watching my husband stand at the counter every day, I have a thought.
When a middle-aged man around my husband's age visits the shop, just a little, just a tiny bit,
the wrinkles between my husband's brows deepen.
Does he hate middle-aged men?
Harboring that question, I observed my husband for a while. However, since he is a man of few words, he doesn't talk much to begin with. All I could tell was that, sure enough, the wrinkles between his brows would deepen.
Once, I gathered my courage and asked him.
"What do you think of middle-aged men?"
My husband deepened the wrinkles between his brows even further,
"Huh?"
he said. That was the end of that conversation.
One day, perhaps on his way back from drinking, a middle-aged man sat at the counter and began complaining to my husband about his work. As usual, my husband kept the wrinkles between his brows deep and didn't even offer a nod of agreement.
He simply brewed the most delicious coffee in the world.
The man left his work complaints on the counter, and in exchange, he put the world's most delicious coffee into his stomach before leaving the shop.
His steps were somehow lighter.
Perhaps, unexpectedly, he is an ally to middle-aged men.
That night, I asked him again.
"Do you like middle-aged men?"
My husband didn't answer me at all.
☕️Cafe YUGE/Back
(From "Story of Scraps" published on Suteki Bungei)
This week, both note and YUGE are completely jammed with middle-aged men.
On a night when you're a little tired, head to Cafe YUGE.
Updated every Friday! 👇️ All episodes free 🆓
https://sutekibungei.com/novels/129b3c40-7819-49a6-b93b-c83d159097ae
☕️ The one visiting the shop tonight is a tired salaryman 👔
The unsettling atmosphere of 'Cup 5: Are you still going to continue?'
