bryan suddith dot com

When I was a kid it was imperative that I could make my parents a cup of coffee. In the early 80′s my parents were instant coffee drinkers. The formula for mom’s morning drink and my father’s were different. As different as they were I suppose.

The water for their coffee was heated using a teapot. Tea was reserved for the flu. But hot water is essential to the instant coffee’s success. My mom’s coffee was always a heaping teaspoon of the Maxwell House instant, heaping teaspoon of sugar (kept in a covered bowl on the kitchen table, there was no dining room or dining room table, and a splash of vitamin D milk.

My dad’s cup of joe was different. Since he was a truck driver, he was accustom to the coffee served in diners and truck stops. At home his coffee was a flat teaspoon of the instant powder and a splash of cool water from the faucet. On the occasion’s that I would be with dad for breakfast a restaurant or diner, or even a fancy restaurant like Frisch’s he had his own coffee ritual. It went like this.

Whenever we were at a truck stop, diner or Frisch’s he would take his spoon and take a teaspoon of ice from my coke, or our water glass and add that to his steaming cup of coffee. I always thought that was weird. Then it happened this week.

I was sitting at the Waffle House. My water and coffee had been served and I was waiting on my breakfast guest and it happened. I reached for the sugar, 1 teaspoon, then my spoon after stirring in those granules, dipped into my ice water for two small ice cubes. The sugar took the bitterness of the diner coffee away and the ice cooled the temperature exactly the amount to make it immediately palatable.

For one minute, alone in the booth, with cup of coffee in hand, I realized I am the product of my father and mother. Entirely.