The last couple of weeks I’ve been having this ongoing silent feud with this coffee shop owner.

I told the story on here, about how seven years ago, I went to this coffee shop and the owner threw me out because I didn’t buy anything. I was hurt, embarrassed, wrote a blog post about it on a community news site, and then boycotted the place. This was all in 2010.

About a month ago, I started this new job, which requires going working out of the library many days. His shop…just so happens to be right in front of the library. And, you know, I figured after all these years, whatever.

I gave in and started going to his shop to get work done on days the library opens later. The first few days it went fine. Then he remembered me. And he didn’t feel the need to apologize. At all.

He’s not one of those disconnected owners either. He’s one of those that is there every single day. And he doesn’t sit in his office all day either. All day long, he is out and about in the shop, mixing and mingling with the customers. He wants to know everyone’s name, everyone’s story, and he wants to chat it up all morning. I just want to get some work done.

So, I know that by putting my headphones in, and zoning everyone out for a couple of hours, I’m offending him. But I’m a paying customer. My only saving grace is that I spend about $15 a day in coffee in snacks each morning. So, after a while of all this, the tension just became too uncomfortable, and I’ve been avoiding the shop. I just can’t stomach spending my money there. So, I’ve gone to other coffee shops.

But, the library is by far the best place to get work done. So, today I went early to the library, and sat outside and worked, avoiding the coffee shop. It all went well, until later in the morning, I went to get a soda at the quickie mart next door to him.

I walked in, grabbed a soda, and then went to check out. And who should be there, chatting up the quickie mart guy, than Mr. Coffee Shop. I turned to look at him and he turned away. As I was paying, he left the shop without saying another word.

What do I do with this guy? My rational mind says I should just be a grown up and apologize to him. But, I don’t want to apologize. What he did to me was terrible. Humiliating. He’s the business owner. He should apologize to me. He should want me as a customer. The whole thing is just upsetting.

And the soda tastes like sawdust.