With the matey done with her voting in another city, we drove for home to see if we could still catch the 3pm deadline in our own assigned precincts. Along the way though, I told my son the priority here was arriving safely by not flying home to beat the election deadline. As such, the right to vote was second priority for the moment.
With her voting already accomplished by the first hour of the precincts ‘ opening, we must have hit the highway ‘round half past seven. Only for this time, we all agreed priority 1.A was any roadside café serving any brewed variety.
Luckily, the mum’s first cousin was based in the municipality up ahead so that all it took was a couple of direct messages between us so we could hurriedly plot out any available option or options. Mind you, we are what you would refer to as one of those serious coffee people. If Bond’s martini were shaken and not stirred, our coffee was strictly black and brewed. Non-negotiable.
While my subjective take on Instants and 3-in-1s indicated they were for so-called fast-paced people whose taste ironically got them nowhere, my mouth was sealed nonetheless. Unless I am deprived of that first cup, that is. As I and some close friends call it, this is one of those extreme cases of whether-you-like-it-or-else.
It didn’t take long however. Even as the first cousin’s suggested coffee place was closed for the day, a shop serving the brew and snacks was just opening nearby. Let me just say, this must be the first and only time that I have ever heard of such a distinction: a coffee barn café. To this I am wont to declare, eat your hearts out, Davao coffee shops! Even if one among you now came up with quirkier names such as a tool shed-inspired coffee shop, I’d still give it second only rating for originality and creative concept. Who says the city has monopoly of these?
Now with our inner batteries back to full capacity, our starting pace at hitting the road once again was that one of an energizer bunny’s. Then as fortune would have it, exactly an hour later I realized; 1.A must evidently pave way to 1.B and that is lunch. Oh well, voting has once again taken the back seat. Really wising we’d get there before they closed the polls. Wait for us kap and kagawads!
