In our office, there is an unspoken rule about coffee. Everyone knows the cheap stuff is for everyone, but the fancy, expensive coffee our boss, Mr. Henderson, keeps in his office is strictly off-limits. Mr. Henderson takes his coffee very seriously. He uses fancy equipment and expensive beans. I usually stick to the boring office coffee. But one Tuesday, things went wrong. I slept through my alarm, skipped breakfast, and showed up late feeling like a zombie. The breakroom was empty, which was odd for 9:00 AM. I saw a nice glass pot on the heater filled with rich, dark coffee. My tired brain didn’t think about whose it was. I just wanted coffee. I poured a big cup and drank it quickly. It tasted amazing—like dark chocolate and citrus. It was strong and delicious. I drank the whole cup, not knowing I had just made a big mistake. I went back to my desk feeling awake. A few minutes later, I felt like I had been plugged into a wall outlet. My hands tingled, and I could focus perfectly. I looked at the mountain of work I had been dreading, and suddenly it looked easy. I started typing super fast. By 10:00 AM, I had finished a whole week of work. I was moving so fast I was basically vibrating. I even walked over to the interns and started talking to them at lightning speed. They looked scared. I felt like I could do anything, all thanks to Mr. Henderson’s secret coffee. Then, the office door opened. Mr. Henderson walked out looking calm, holding an empty mug. He saw me pacing back and forth, vibrating so hard the desk lamp seemed to flicker. He watched me for a moment, then gave me a small smile. He leaned against the door and said, ‘Ah, you found my special blend.’ I froze. I was so embarrassed. ‘The… the communal pot?’ I stammered, my heart racing. ‘The communal pot is empty,’ he said, pointing to the breakroom. ‘That pot was my private stash. It is for emergencies only—like when I have huge meetings and need to be a superhuman.’ He chuckled. ‘I see you finished four days of work in an hour? You should probably sit down before you pass out.’ I went to my chair, my face turning bright red, while my energy turned into a mild headache. I learned my lesson that day: keep your hands off the boss’s private coffee. I never touched his equipment again, but I still dream about that coffee that turned me into a super-worker for one wild hour. |
