I didn't mean to queue jump. I didn't see that the line stretched to the right of the store behind the sweets aisle where colourful packets of sweets tempt young children. I was thinking of getting out of the city as soon as I could fuel my blood with caffeine - it had been a hot and sleepless night.

The barista wasn't paying much attention either, prioritising who was in front of her and switching between writing abbreviated orders on post it notes and sliding over to the machine, clearly overworked. After ordering my oat milk latte and taking a table number, I almost collided with the woman behind me who I failed to notice giving me the evil eye. She was fuming. I've seen people affected by low caffeine before but sheesh, she was next level. 'I hope you spill the fucking thing right down your top' she hissed.

'Okay Karen,' I retaliated, so confronted that I had to spit barbs right back at her. An apology would have been more adult, but sometimes when I'm cornered I don't behave as I should. 'Calm ya farm'. I probably looked a little smug as well, especially after seeing the queue I'd jumped.

I suppose Karen's farm was a little calmed when she saw me take the first sip and spill it right down my white blouse. She was positively beaming. 'I hope every cup is a nightmare for you' she smiled sweetly as I exited. There was no way I was going to hang around and order again - she was making my blood boil. Instead, I headed for the drive through on the highway on the way down the coast. The coffee isn't quite as good, but at least it would be obvious what queue to be in.

'That'll be 5.90' said the girl serving me, holding out the machine for the phone tap, only to receive a disagreeable beep. 'Sorry, it saids funds not available' she smiled. They weren't. My savings account was unexpectedly dry, perhaps a screw up by work who were often late paying me. The other card had expired and I couldn't recall a pin to the other. It was fast looking as if a coffee was out of reach at all.

Twenty kilometres down the road though, I was in luck. 'Drowsy drivers die!' read the first sign. 'Free coffee!' said the second. Now that was my kind of sign, though I wasn't sure what kind of tepid and bitter brew would be served up by the State Emergency Services highway coffee stand. Steve, as his name tag said, was all smiles. 'Bad day love?' he grins, seeing the state of my blouse. 'Don't worry, a cup of coffee will see ya right!'.

As I gratefully took the cup out of his hands and took one long and self satisfied sip, I found myself dealing with that oh so familiar situation an Aussie knows oh too well. A fly was buzzing violently inside my mouth, swept in with the tide of a cold coffee 'What the fuuuuc...' I started. 'What the actual, Steve?'. The contents of my mouth, winged demon and all, hit the grass. Steve shrugged. It was clear that free coffees could not be complained about.

On the coast, I pulled into the first cafe I could find. Summer holidays had inflated the population somewhat, and the usually quiet places were thrumming and teaming with surfers with bare sandy feet, pretty influencers in linen, families, busloads of international tourists, bogans in bikinis, surf life savers in budgie smugglers, and the occasional tradie that wasn't on holiday.

The queue was long.

My patience was thin.

Yet, finding myself juggling for a space at the end of the line, I stepped aside for a woman who looked as if she needed a coffee even more than I did. 'After you!' I smiled.

'Oh gosh thanks!' she gushes. 'I've had one of those mornings!'

'I hear ya' I say. 'I almost feel cursed!'.

At the counter, I'm surprised to find my coffee already paid for. Good deeds, it seems, have their rewards. Perhaps it had been enough to lift the Karen Coffee Curse, as I had come to think of it.

Turned out it was the most delicious mug of coffee I've ever had, incident free and all. Hallelujah, my friends. Halle-faaarken-looya.

With Love,

Are you on HIVE yet? Earn for writing! Referral link for FREE account here