"We gave out pieces of Candy on Halloween. Candy was... a dancer."

Spontaneity trumps logic. I'm officially Pennsylvania-bound in less than 12 hours. My mother called to give me the option of leaving this weekend instead of waiting another endless week, so I jumped on that train and got the early flight outta here.

I see going home as a sort of check point, to refuel, to reconnect with my self, to regain what I feel like I've lost. And all with the knowledge that it will be temporary. I have to take a step backward before I can move forward, especially after what I've been through these last 3 months.

I felt like such a dousche calling my boss to inform her of my sudden departure, but she couldn't have been more understanding. And she has been very helpful and supportive while I was here knowing my situation. She hugged me about four times when I came in for my final shift, and then to say goodbye.

I just started training another girl too. She's a very strange woman, almost to the point that she would make a good Halloween costume, and always says things like "Sweet Jesus" and "Good grief". But she's soo fun to train; I drew her a diagram today to visualize the difference between a cappuccino and a latte.

Closing for the last time (I am sick washing the same dishes and smelling like bleach every night), I started to feel overwhelmingly sad, like a hippopotamus was sitting on my chest. I turned off the lights, locked the door behind me, stepped out on the street and the feeling drifted away with the wind. I knew I wouldn't come back if they paid me... or paid me more.

I will miss my co-worker Melissa's bounty hunter instincts with flies, flirting with some of the regulars who never seem to realize I have work to do, and obviously the free coffee. But I'm not going to leave empty handed. I've learned all I ever wanted to know about coffee, met good people, and now have many interesting memories to cherish... or contemplate.