Chapter 9: Tim Horton's

Tim Horton was a damn fine Toronto Maple Leaf. He also started one of the greatest things ever, that being his eponymous chains of donut and coffee shops. As I understand it, the original Port Huron location was/is the busiest American location. I believe it. I’ve been to many a Tim Horton’s and never encountered the kind of morning traffic they had anywhere. Not even a Metro Detroit location can have the build-up of angry office workers that the Port Huron location has in the morning. Despite the illogical uproar about it I supported the opening of the second location near Fort Gratiot. Seriously, how many Burger Kings and McDonald's are in those two cities alone? Or the polis?

For a long time when I was going to school in Port Huron their coffee was my nuclear core. I usually bought a large coffee (black as midnight on a moonless night) for Sketch and Playwriting. Hey, I loved the class but the coffee was the necessary nuclear reaction I needed to get the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity that early in the morning.

There was always this one girl I saw working there. She always looked so rushed and stressed. She was always toward the back, working the drive-thru window. She was skinny and wore a uniform that was easily two sizes too big. I thought she was kind of cute. Not that I ever tried or wanted to make a move on her but I was willing to acknowledge it.

Going into the Tim Horton’s at 7:30 in the morning to get my plutonium for sketch writing it always looked like she had the ability to rip someone’s abdomen in half despite her slight stature. I would never recognize the people at the register taking my order. They always seemed to change. But the girl in back was always there. I never saw her stop moving for a second. Putting a donut in a bag, pouring and mixing coffees, taking orders, she was the physical embodiment of the L-Train Gene Hackman was chasing in The French Connection.

I always wanted to tell her to slow down and relax for a second. But I doubt it would have mattered.

When I went in for my first day as the newly-crowned Editor-in-Chief of the ESG I went into Tim Horton’s to get a large coffee and a dozen donuts. I figured it would be nice to have donuts at the office the first day. Even though there was no work I thought I would spring for a “welcome back” sort of thing.

I didn’t recognize a soul at the store. Except the girl in the back, still speeding, still a dervish of a worker. The look on her face always seemed in conflict. She was pretty but always looked like the Tim Horton’s would collapse if she stopped for a second to sigh.

As the year progressed I never had to go back there much very early in the morning. One time I did though but I don’t recall why.

I looked in the back and she was gone. My hopes are that she moved on to something better. If she got fired though that would just mean that they got rid of someone who looked like their spirit was intrinsically tied to that place.

I never met her but I hope she is well.