A week after her art show, Pam slipped into the break room to make some tea. As she opened the door, her nose was tickled by the intermingled scents of vanilla and hazelnut and she knew Oscar had brewed some of his special coffee. The fresh pot and the unopened quart of half and half in the fridge cemented her decision and she poured herself a steaming cup of the aromatic beverage.

She was just about to place the pot back on the burner when Jim wandered into the room. He caught a whiff of the coffee and quickly stuck out his mug for her to fill.

“Is that Oscar’s special brew?” he smiled.

“Yep,” she replied shortly, her attention focused on not spilling the hot liquid.

“Hey, since when did you start drinking coffee anyway? I thought you were a tea girl all the way!”

“People change, Jim,” she replied wearily.

She was going to leave it at that but she was tired of him pretending nothing had ever happened between them and she was sick of the looks he shot her every time Roy came by to visit her at her desk. He was careful not to broadcast what he was thinking but she was angry that pity seemed to be in the mix.

“I used to drink only tea but then in June, well, I was tired a lot and I thought maybe some extra caffeine would help so I started drinking coffee. And it was nice to make a change. I was stuck in a rut with tea for a long time. Coffee gave me a nice buzz and kept me going through the fall. But then Oscar went away to Europe and he’s really the one who made the best coffee around here. Then Creed started making decaf in the regular pot and I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand decaf.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just a poor substitute and really, what’s the point?”

“Exactly. Anyway, I began to notice that after it sits for a while, coffee gets really bitter. So when winter came it seemed so cold and dark I just thought it might be nice to drink tea again. Besides, I wasn’t sleeping too well so I thought I could do with less caffeine. Tea is soothing and familiar and it doesn’t hurt your stomach like coffee, you know?”

The words had come rushing out of her and when she stopped talking, Jim was staring at her trying to sort through everything she said. This must be how Kelly feels, she thought.

After a moment he asked quietly, “Pam, are we still talking about hot caffeinated beverages?”

“Wow! It smells really good in here!” Karen breezed into the break room just as an answer reached the tip of Pam’s tongue. Jim slumped against the counter and Pam focused intently on stirring her coffee. If Karen noticed anything other than the aroma of coffee hanging in the air, she hid it well. She peered at the coffee maker. Placing her hand on Jim’s arm she cooed, “Hey, would you mind making me make me a pot of decaf? You make the best coffee!”

As she walked into the ladies room, Jim turned back to Pam. But she was already halfway back to reception, resolute in her decision that this be her last cup of coffee.

Tea was soothing and familiar and she was a tea girl all the way.