Friday 10 October 2008

MasterM, Barista

MasterM is working
in one on the busiest pubs in London.
Last night we went to have a drink
and enjoy the atmosphere.

The average age of the customer is 26
and so we looked rather anomalous
but we had a good evening
and were very grateful to MasterM
for fast-tracking our food order.
Apparently the chef was having a tantrum
in the kitchen and it was a bit touch and go.

A group of his school friends
were at a table on the other side of the pub.
They had a map that MasterM had used to sketch
his travel plans for the spring.
His friend T who is working in the City
plans to travel with him.
The thing that caught my eye
was the sentence 'Could Be HECTIC!!'

MasterM said that he would kill me
if I used my camera...
and he sounded as though he meant it.
So I had to make do with photos of nearby shop windows.

I felt amazed and proud and sad
to see my son working so confidently
in an adult world.
He doesn't need me any more
and that is not easy to come to terms with.

Ask Tracey or Gina or Cif you don't believe me.

He still needs his Dad though
when he can't get the cork
out of the wine bottle.

17 comments:

blackbird said...

Happily for me, I can't visit Oldest in the roofing trade...

Anonymous said...

I think it is really good that he has a job. Don't fool yourself he will always need you. More than you could ever know! :)

Margaret said...

These photos are so pretty. I'm glad to you took them! I feel silly taking pictures of everything, but I'm always happy afterwards!

Anonymous said...

I think the chaise longue in the final pic should be standard blogger issue for those with laptops (Did people blog before the advent of laptops or wifi broadband ? Discuss)

Might be a bit too comfortable though

French Knots said...

My five year old son is starting to not need me - I'm a big boy and I can go to school on my own now!
Perhaps I should learn to use the corkscrew so I will be useful to him in the future.

walter and me said...

You'll always be needed, but I suspect in more subtle ways! I'm trying to decide which part of London you were in...the windows remind me of Kensington Church Street.

Unknown said...

Panic ye not - he will always need you but those needs will be more subtle - even grown up sons need a hug every now and then, even if they dwarf their mums

dottycookie said...

So, how long before he works out the standard student trick of pushing the cork into the bottle and then spending the rest of the evening trying to work out how to get anything out? It always made for a cheap, if frustrating, evening for us.

Anonymous said...

MrsM can remember clearly a rather grim moment from our student days when I botched the cork extraction operation and in a rather aggressively macho moment decided that this was the moment to serve the wine through a teastrainer. It worked but was not terribly elegant and did not in retrospect perhaps demonstrate the desired degree of panache.

Allison said...

It must be a challenge to balance being so proud of him with the feeling of losing him at the same time. You are his Mom and he will always need you.

Eleanor said...

I sprinkle magical Peter Pan dust on my son every night as he sleeps. So he will NEVER grow up.

So far...unsuccessful...

Anonymous said...

I'm afraid you're right. I did get a cryptic message this morning requesting help organizing a paper, but since I haven't heard back, I think I now may be superfluous even for that. Hmph. Nice lanterns!

Gina said...

They always need you, even if they think they don't.
Gina x

carrie said...

I just got back from a vacation where the majority of the people were either a) gay men or b) over 65. Imagine what that did for my ego!!! It was lovely.

Tell your MasterM to hang in there, being a barista is hard work (I did it for 2 years)! :)

fifi said...

It is always so nice to come here, such gorgeous pictures and lovely tales.
I always feel, though, a bit wistful, and wish my family life was as happy as yours.

M said...

My kids won't let me use my camera either.

I'm fretting that my little boy soon won't want to kiss me goodbye at the school gate. I can't imagine I'd be ready for him to confidently negotiate the adult world without me!

Jackie said...

Is there such a thing as a baristress? Because I've done it.
(In my youth. In Twickenham. Too far from home to be watched by my parents.)