Pete looked at Maria’s hand and reluctantly took it.

“How about a cup of coffee, amigo?”Her smile was warm.

Pete shook his head. “We have to get back to the office. The work doesn’t do itself.” Just as I thought, she’s a slacker like all of those young people. They
want everything handed to them. He looked up sheepishly, hoping that his annoyance  didn’t show on his face. What the hell, she’ll probably be my boss someday soon, so better  to not make an enemy, he thought. Folding his umbrella as the rain began to lessen, he said, “I guess one cup of java wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

Maria smiled at the word java. Pete sounded like her dad who often called coffee java or Joe.

“Okay, let’s get some Joe,” she said with a smile.
Now this little smart ass is making fun of me, Pete thought angrily. He followed the slight young woman down the unfamiliar street. He reached for his wallet and keys to make sure they were safe. He’d never walk down this street at night and he wasn’t too sure about walking there during the day, either. Just the other night, there was a story on the news about a guy getting mugged and shot in broad daylight. It was probably a neighborhood like this, Pete thought. He cringed as he passed women chatting in Spanish as they carried bags of groceries or pushed babies in strollers. A few kids playing kick ball in the street called out to Maria and she waved and answered them in Spanish.

Soon she pointed to their destination, a small coffee shop on the corner. Pete held back for a moment, wondering if the restaurant would be decorated with cut outs of cactus plants and sombreros.

Wow, he seems really nervous, she thought holding the door for Pete. Maria led him to a booth at the back of the restaurant and as soon as he was settled, she went behind the counter and poured two cups of coffee. Setting one in front of Pete, she slipped into the booth across from him.

Look how nervy she is, thought Pete. Who ever heard of helping yourself to coffee in a restaurant? Is this the way these people do things?
Maria raised her cup in a salute as Pete began to gulp his coffee. He wanted to get out of there as quick as possible. He planned to call another cab from the safety of the restaurant and hoped he’d soon be sitting behind his desk.
An awkward silence hung between Maria and Pete. Finally she said, “This is my dad’s place. Do you like the coffee?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”
“I worked here every weekend and several evenings while I was getting my degree from the university. I’m planning to go back and earn an MBA.”

Pete nodded. “So, are you the first in your family to get a college degree?”

“Oh, no. My dad was a lawyer in Cuba before he came here. But he would have had to take several courses over again and then take the bar exam. He didn’t think that he could do that with a family depending on him. So he and my mom decided to open a coffee shop.”

The restaurant was beginning to fill up. Looking around, Pete was surprised at the clientele. There were nurses and a few doctors, too. He noticed several well dressed women who reminded him of the office receptionist.

“Where do those nurses come from? “

“Oh we get a lot of the staff from the hospital down the street and office workers, too. In the evenings we get some families or even couples on a date!”

Just as he finished his coffee, a man with graying hair appeared.
Maria looked up adoringly. “Papi, this is Pete from the office.”

Maria’s father poured another cup of coffee. “Thanks for helping my daughter learn her way around the office. She talks about you all the time.”

Maria shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Biting her lip, she said, “It makes him happy to think that I am getting along at work.”

Pete finished the coffee and looked  around the bustling restaurant. “So you worked here and went to college? That must have been hard.”

Maria smiled. “It was, but it was worth it. My dad is so proud of me. I want him to know that his sacrifices were worth it.”

Just as Pete was ready to slurp the rest of his coffee, a plate of sopapillas appeared.

“On the house,” Maria’s father said. He presented a plump woman wearing an apron. Maria stood up and kissed the woman on the cheek.

”Mami,” she said, “this is Pete from the office.”

The woman bent down and hugged Pete. “You have been so good to our Maria. Gracias, senor.”

Pete nodded numbly. He reached out and took a pastry from the plate. It was delicious. As he chewed, he watched as
Maria’s parents greeted patrons, making each of them feel at home.

“Great cup of Joe,” he said.

Then he reached his hand out and said, “Truce?”

Maria smiled.