My mom

I called my mom today, b/c it's Sunday and it's part of my Sunday ritual. We talked about the work my dad was doing, my dad works like a slave to please my mom. I talked to my dad and he bragged about the raised beds, ponds, truck loads of mulch, etc he moved so that my mom has the best garden in town. He passed the phone back to my mom so he could shower.
We chatted about food, about work, about pets, and about the weather. My mom asked me if I was seeing anyone. This was a weird question for her. She has never asked, but I think she is jonesin' for a grand kid. She said the way my brother and me were going she wouldn't have any grand kids.
I told her I didn't actually know any girls. The only women I have regular interaction with, that aren't friends, are the baristas at my favorite coffee joints. First I started thinking, then I started blinking, a bridesmaid...
no sorry that's Young MC.
I was thinking. I decided there needs to be a new term for the special relationship between a person and their barista. My baristas are wonderful. I have three steady baristas. They all know me well enough that they fill my coffee, don't ask me any questions. They don't expect me to engage in conversation before noon. They know that cream is antithetical to my idea of coffee.
When I get my afternoon or evening cup they ask me questions about my life and I reciprocate. We chat, I drink the coffee, go see their art shows, they laugh at my bad jokes. From my experience they fulfill most of the best aspects of having a girlfriend. They act like they care about my day to day life, they don't harass me or expect much from me in the morning, they participate a little in philosophical or musical discussion, and most important they smile at me. In turn, I ask about their lives, compliment their art, praise their coffee brewing abilities and let them know about my favorite music events.
So I should probably write this in to the Atlantic Monthly, or the AntMo as I like to call it, and they can make up a word. I think this is a major relationship in many people's lives, or at least in my own life. It needs it's own word. Cafmitment? Caffriend? Esspreciation? Not sure. But I love the women at Ugly Mug, Powells, and Floyds.