Until Next Sunday by Rick Barlow

At the intersection of Freemont and Casa Nova in Monterey there is a donut shop. Best donuts in town. Cinnamon and coffee aroma hits you in the face as you walk in the door. Days go by in between visits, but I can still invoke that aroma in my mind. Every Sunday I walk down to the donut shop to a have a donut. From outside you can just make out the old men playing chess at the small tables that are scattered around the shop . Grabbing the handle of the door brings a moment of anticipation. Holding my breath I pull open the door and inhale. It hits me! Just the aroma infused air is almost enough to satisfy my craving. Keeping my eyes fixed on the donut case glowing like a beacon I scan it for my favorite kind. Like a pit viper ambushing its prey the Asian donut lady suddenly leaps up from behind the glowing case and startles me. “Morning, how are you?” she says with an exuberant cheerfulness wrapped tightly in a thick Chinese accent. Now it begins. Our weekly exchange where we wage a secret battle to get in the last word. Puffing up my chest I say “I’m fine, how are you?”. Quickly she strikes back with “good, how are you?”, and I retaliate with a sturdy “I’m fine”. Ready with a counterattack she says “what kind donut you want?”. Steady I tell myself, “that one, right there” I say with confidence and point fearlessly to the donut. Turning her eyes towards the door she says “anymore donut for you?”. Underneath my cool façade I’m planning a strategy to get the last word in; I tell myself I will prevail. Very quickly I say “no thanks” and hand her my money before throwing a preemptive “thank you” her way. “Welcome” she says on the heels of my thank you “please come again”, and she hands me my donut. Xenophobic panic sets in and I blurt out “yeah, thanks bye” and I back towards the door in panic: I‘m out of ammo! “You have good day” she says with that cheerfulness, then she hurls a “come again” my way as I back out the door breathless and defeated. Zero for me and chalk another one up for the donut lady; until next Sunday that is.