For centuries, the watering place was a place of meeting for lovers. Just as Jacob met and fell in love with Rachel near a well in the ancient time (Genesis 29), the modern-day lovers also meet at a new type of watering place, which we call the office kitchen.

The office kitchen is the most important place in the office since it is where one can retrieve not only water but also coffee—the source of caffeine. Sometimes, there is a long queue near the coffee machine, which can almost confuse you into thinking that you are at Starbucks café. There are days when you will have to wait in line for some time. The caffeine addicts who are low on caffeine will pace around the kitchen like stalking animals. They tend to make me nervous, so I prefer the vacant kitchen that is some distance away when I need coffee.

As previously mentioned, the office kitchen is the modern-day watering place where you can discover love and start a new romance. Occasionally, I will, without meaning to, find myself trespassing upon two people flirting and be reminded of how I met my own husband (deceased now) in an office kitchen. I was always so sleepy and could not live without caffeine. I tried counting sheep but could never fall asleep fast enough. Those sheep were useless to me. Anyhow, one morning, I went to the office kitchen and pulled out the coffee pot like an idiot while the coffee was still brewing, which created a mess on the floor. I frowned at the mess that I had made when some kind creature came to my assistance and mopped up the spilled coffee for me and asked, “Is your dress all right? Did the coffee spill on you?” Thankfully, since my dress was patterned, it wouldn’t have mattered if I got spilled on. I must have had the foreknowledge to wear something patterned, or perhaps the sheep were trying to tell me something while I was trying to fall asleep. Maybe that was the reason why I could not fall asleep as the sheep were trying to say, “Hey you! Remember to wear something mottled tomorrow so that the spills won’t show that much because you are going to be a moron and spill coffee.” Anyhow, the man was obviously trying to win some points and making the effort to appear knightly.

Surprised, I bothered to glance at the “knight” but discovered that he was not very shiny (he must have left his armor at home). Yet, I thanked him and noted that he looked like a cherub. I cannot say that I was in love at first sight, but I continued to stare at him because he was grinning like the Cheshire cat. His sneaky smile on a cherubic face was rather disturbing. Even though he possessed a cherubic face, he had a touch of playfulness that puzzled me. I will say that he looked something like a naughty cherub. Looking back, it was probably a warning sign for me to run away from him. Seeing him grinning, I wanted to say, don’t you know that life stinks? Being the gloomy kind, I could not fathom what amused him. Yet, I will admit that the man’s smile was like sunshine; it had the power to banish the clouds away. So, it is no surprise to me that we dated and eventually married (sad that he died).

Not only did the “coffee knight” smile like the Cheshire cat, but he was also able to walk really fast. I was seriously thinking of renaming him as “Speedy.” Known for being fast myself, I was resentful that someone took away the speedy title from me. I used to zoom around at the office while my coworkers tried not to get run over by me. So, you can say that I was a bit peeved. Before I knew it, he zipped past me and was crossing the street as if he had drunk about three cups of espresso. For a moment, I thought that he would try to make his move by talking to me, but he ignored me and sped away. Later, I discovered that it was his tactic into making me become more curious about him, and I admit that his plan worked for I could not stop myself from thinking about him because he was speedier than me. Instead of the shiny armor, he used his brain to catch my attention, which explained the Cheshire cat smile. His ploy kind of reminded me of the Greek mythology of Hippomenes, who beat Atalanta in a footrace by dropping the golden apples that were given to him by the goddess Aphrodite (“Hippomenes,” n.d.). And just like Hippomenes, my husband kept giving me jewels as lures instead of the golden apples. I regret to admit that women are weak when it comes to the shiny trinkets.

So, next time any of you males visit the office kitchen and notice a damsel in distress, take the opportunity to start a romance by rescuing her. And as you rescue her, drop some golden apples around her feet to slow her down in case she might run away like Atalanta. You must to be cunning like Hippomenes to win a woman. As to any of you females, spill something if you see a cute man and hope that he will come to your rescue. Hopefully, he will drop jewels instead of golden apples because diamonds are a girl’s best friend—although gold will fetch a good price. Unfortunately, if the man looks back at you as if you have turned into a lunatic because you are low on caffeine, you will just have to clean up the spillage.

Hippomenes, (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved February 16, 2018, from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippomenes