A cup of coffee can change a lot of things. But for Darek, he never expected it would change his entire life.
“That will bring your total to $5.75. Will you be paying with cash or card?”
Darek blinked, half paying attention. “Uh, card.” He resisted the urge to yawn or show signs of being completely exhausted.
He pulled out his wallet, trying to remember which of his cards to use. It’s just five dollars, Darek reminded himself. Trying one card, it declined. The nice barista quickly reset the payment for him. Darek tried a different card, but again, it was declined.
“Sorry,” he chuckled. “I always forget which one it is.” Suddenly, the weight of his backpack seemed impossible to carry. Darek knew he really needed to sit down and relax before he passed out or something.
The overly dramatic sighs from behind told him that there was an entire line of extremely impatient people. Everyone wanted their coffee. But, so did Darek. Quickly, he tried another card. Again, declined. Grumbling to himself, he checked every pocket for loose cash.
None.
“Maybe try one more time,” the barista suggested. She smiled at him, her kind eyes showing no signs of annoyance.
I’m not broke, Darek wanted to say. It sounded funny in his head, but too serious out loud. But, it was true. He just had to blame his medical school budget and maxed-out credit cards.
“Well, fourth time is the charm, right?” Darek joked, hoping to lighten up the intimidating crowd behind him. Everyone looked ready to kick him out of the café and bookstore.
“Right.” The barista nodded confidently like she had faith his bank would somehow grant him coffee privileges.
He smiled at his own stupid imagination. I really need coffee, Darek internally admitted. His jokes were getting out of control and he worried how many would be spoken out loud. Darek tapped his card, expecting the large X to pop up on the screen. Instead, the whole thing went blank.
“Uh—”
“See, it went through.” The barista smiled brightly. “Sometimes our system acts weird with cards.”
“Wait, it worked?” Darek stared at the screen in disbelief.
“Yep, you’re all set to go. I’ll have your coffee ready in a second.” She pulled out a marker. “Name for the order?”
“Darek.” Still staring at the blank screen, he slightly panicked about which bank account would have an added fee. “Could I have the receipt?”
“Oh.” The barista’s face flushed. “Actually, our … receipt printer isn’t working right now.” She cleared her throat awkwardly, causing Darek to raise a brow. “Sorry about the inconvenience.”
“It’s fine, thank you.” Darek stepped away from the register, relieved he was getting his coffee.
Finding an empty table, he placed his backpack on a seat and pulled out several textbooks. Carefully, Darek stacked them neatly, while placing his large spiral notebook at the center of the table, with a pen on top. Study day, he thought to himself. Rubbing his tired eyes, Darek yawned heavily before sitting down. He had been awake for approximately 20 hours, studying for tests or making rounds at the hospital.
It could not be denied how badly Darek needed that coffee.
Inhaling, Darek leaned his elbows on the table, bowed his head, and prayed, “Father God, thank you for getting me this far. Help me to keep going until the end. Amen.”
Darek remained in his praying position for a few moments. Exhaustion seemed to overtake his body, but he knew that it wouldn’t last forever. One day Darek would look back and thank God every day for pulling him through. It will be worth it, he believed.
“Here you go.” A voice pulled Darek out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the barista setting his coffee on the table.
“Oh, thank you.” Darek blinked away his tiredness. He wasn’t expecting to be served but felt extremely grateful. “I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled brightly. “God bless.” She turned and walked away, her long brown ponytail swaying with each step.
“You too,” he called, hoping she heard.
Darek popped in his earbuds, opened his textbook, took a sip of coffee, and began his study time. For what felt like an eternity, he went over the anatomy terms, biochemistry formulas, and a million annoying facts about evolution that he could care less about. At some point, Darek took a brain break. Leaning back in his chair and sipped his—really refreshing—coffee. Scanning the café and surrounding bookstore, he spotted the barista carrying an armful of books to a table. She dropped them on top, some of them sliding off and onto the floor.
Instantly, Darek felt an urge to jump out of his chair and assist, but she collected them before he could stand up. Unconsciously, he watched her. Unlike Darek’s very organized table of textbooks, she gladly scattered all of the dozens of books she had. It appeared to Darek that she was sorting through them, in an oddly disorganized way.
If she wasn’t skimming through a book, she was answering the phone, or talking to one of the co-workers that came to her. For a barista, she had her hands full with a million other things. I know the feeling, he thought. Darek went back to his work but stopped as soon as his coffee ran out.
Packing up his workspace, he noticed that the barista was still “sorting” through her, much larger, book piles. What is she doing? Darek couldn’t help but wonder. It was hard to imagine someone being able to read that many books. Though, it could be possible.
Darek slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed out of the bookstore. Passing the barista, his eyes fell on the stack of books. Almost all of them had something to do with God, the Gospel, Hope, and anything Christian. He paused—accidentally—right in front of her.
She looked up.
“Sorry.” Darek’s face flushed. Apparently, he was more tired than he remembered. So tired that he didn’t realize what he was doing.
“You’re good.” She smiled, though, but still looked slightly confused. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah, sort of.” He rubbed the back of his neck, asking himself internally what in the world he was doing. “It’s random but, I’m curious.” Darek pointed at the books. “Are you planning to read those?”
“Oh.” She glanced at the books, then back at him. “Actually, I already read all of them at least once before.”
That didn’t help his curiosity. “Nice.” He nodded, but suddenly felt extremely awkward. “So, then … you’re working?”
He was determined to figure this out.
“No.” She chuckled. “I’m on my break. At least, trying to.” Letting out a deep sigh, she confessed, “Being the only manager here at the moment means I’m needed almost every second.”
Manager. Oh. That changed things.
“I noticed …” Darek blinked, realizing what he said out loud. He hoped she didn’t catch on to what he implied. “But, what are you doing then, with all of these books?”
“Sifting through them.”
“Sifting?”
“Yeah, they’re for some people I know. So, I’m going through them to see who will need what and so forth.”
Darek nodded slowly, still trying to make sense of their conversation. In fact, he barely knew why he was still standing there. Flashbacks of being the dorky kid in the high school hallways flooded through him. He had always been that awkward guy in the corner. Now, it felt like Darek strange adult in the spotlight.
“They’re for people?” He questioned. She was quiet for a couple of seconds, catching on to the fact that Darek probably wouldn’t go away without a full explanation.
“Yeah, I try helping people in whatever ways I can,” she explained. “Strangers, family, friends, it doesn’t matter. But, I try to be like Jesus. You know, give them some hope, encouragement, whatever it may be.” She placed her hand on a stack of books. “One of the ways I do that is by giving them books about God to show or remind them about his love.”
Darek’s eyebrows raised. The explanation he waited for was more than he expected. “Wow, that’s a little …”
“Strange? Yeah, I know.” A huge smile spread across her face, while her cheeks glowed. “But I do what I can.”
“Actually, I was going to say a little profound.” Darek met her gaze, his throat suddenly becoming dry. Her glasses somehow intensified her big, golden-brown eyes.
“Profound, I like that.”
“Well, it’s true. I mean, you’re giving them the Word. The one thing that can actually help them in any situation.”
“Exactly.” She folded her hands, eyeing each book laid before her. “Anyway.” She rose to her feet. “I probably should start my shift again before things get chaotic.”
“Right, right.”
“Thanks for chatting with me for a second.”
“No—yeah, thank you.” Darek was about to walk away but quickly asked. “What’s … what’s your name?” He felt scared to ask for some reason.
She straightened her stance a little bit. “Zoey.”
“Zoey,” he repeated. “Nice meeting you.”
“You, too.”
He came back once when Zoey wasn’t working as a barista.
Not surprisingly, Darek found her sifting through books. He asked her about it again, over coffee that he paid for both of them. Then, embarrassingly learned that Zoey didn’t actually drink coffee. But, she kindly accepted it anyway. So, Darek came back once more—but this time with his own book suggestions and questions.
“I make rounds at the hospital sometimes,” he explained. “There’s some patients there I want to see smiling again. I thought maybe a book or two could help.”
“So you came to the expert?”
“Yes. The manager over books, who else could be a better expert?”
They both laughed.
Zoey was helpful, gave her recommendations, and requested that Darek let her know the outcome. But he wasn’t prepared for what would happen. He “expertly” snuck some books into some patients' rooms when they were either asleep or not present, then waited. It took only a couple of days later, to find each patient crying.
“Zoey.” He came to her, half panicked. She was busy organizing some bookshelves when he rushed into the bookstore unexpectedly. “Zoey, I have a problem.”
“What about?”
“The books.”
She grinned. “So I take it your patients loved them?”
“No! The complete opposite. They all broke down crying.” Darek facepalmed. “I didn’t even tell them I was the one who put the books in their rooms. Now, my supervisor keeps asking what happened and how they got in there.”
“Oh.” Zoey moved to the next bookshelf. “Yeah, that can happen.”
“I broke them, Zoey, what did I do wrong?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“So you’re telling me these book gifts make everyone cry?”
Zoey glanced over her shoulder at him, her smile wide and genuine. “Come with me.”
Darek obeyed, following her straight into the breakroom. There was a large whiteboard in the room, where Zoey gladly took a marker and wrote in giant letters:
Everyone Needs H.E.L.P.
“An abbreviation?” Darek sat down, feeling like a schoolboy in a classroom again.
“Yes.” Zoey tapped on the abbreviated word, then added onto the whiteboard:
H: Hope
E: Encouragement
L: Love
P: Peace
“H.E.L.P.” Darek ran his fingers through his hair. “Genius.”
“Not really.” Zoey chuckled softly. “I learned it in Sunday school when I was a kid. But, listen …” She studied the whiteboard for a few seconds. “Helping people simply means doing something for someone, that gives them one of those things. Hope, encouragement, love, or peace.” She smiled at him, with tearful eyes. “I’m just a bookstore manager, you’re working towards being a doctor. We help people in different ways but …” She glanced back at the whiteboard. “It all matters and points back to one of those four things.”
“Just like Jesus,” Darek commented. “That’s his whole ministry.”
“Exactly.” She sat down on one of the chairs. “My name Zoey means life and the Word of God is life.” She smiled brightly at Darek, her eyes beaming in joy. “So, when you say that your patients are crying over some Jesus books I recommended … that just means you gave them life and love in the dead places in their lives.”
Darek knew it was probably too sudden—but he asked Zoey out that second. And she accepted.
He witnessed and participated in many “helping adventures” (as Zoey called it) after that.
Like when they secretly repaired her neighbor's flat tire, without any experience. We’ll figure it out, she said confidently. And, by God’s grace, they did. Or when Darek suggested gifting a box of toys to a recently widowed mother he knew.
Zoey was quick to help and specifically told him, “Make sure the mom gets all the credit for giving her kids the toys.“
“Why?” He asked, though Darek already knew the answer.
“It protects her dignity as a mom,” Zoey explained.
“Just like how you protected my dignity?” A sly smile spread across Darek’s face.
“What?” Zoey stared at him for a second. “When?”
“You know.”
“With the coffee?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” Zoey blushed. “Well, yeah, actually.”
“It took me forever to figure it out,” Darek admitted. “But once I found out that none of my bank accounts or credit cards had a pending coffee transaction … that’s when I knew.”
“Well …” Zoey shrugged. “I just saw the weariness in your eyes and the annoyance from the crowd behind you.” She hid and paused for a moment, recalling the moment. “I kept thinking, guys stop judging. You don’t know what’s going on in his life.”
“But how did you pay? I didn’t see you swipe a card or anything.”
“I canceled the order, once you tapped the card. Then later, I remade the order and paid for it myself.”
Darek’s lips parted in shock. “The determination to protect my dignity.”
“Well, it was worth it,” Zoey admitted.
“Except now …” Darek realized. “I owe you.”
“No, no, and no,” Zoey protested. “None of this is about owing anything to anyone. Jesus is not like that and I’m definitely not.”
“Fine, then.” Darek smiled gently. “But I’ll find something to give you that will help you the way that you’ve helped me.”
After several more of their helping adventures, Darek discovered the one thing that he could give Zoey… He gave her his love for the rest of his life.
Foundation Scriptures:
“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver”
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NKJV)
“The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself”
(Proverbs 11: 25 NKJV)
Personal Thoughts:
My attempt to write a romantic comedy kind of went in a different direction. And yet, I wouldn’t change a thing. We all need to laugh or cringe at the cheesy parts of life, while remembering why we are all here on this Earth: to spread the Heart of Jesus Christ.
When writing this story, I thought of the many people in my life who have been a great example to me. In different ways, they have taught me how to H.E.L.P. people:
My best friend (who actually is a bookstore manager). She was the one and only friend to give me a gift—when we were teenagers—for no special reason. And that gift was a stack of books. She didn’t know it then, but it was probably the most impactful thing she could have ever done for me.
My older brother. He is the one person I know who will randomly find a way to give gifts to complete strangers. I cannot tell you how many times he has gone through the Starbucks drive-thru, only to pay for the entire order for the car behind him (even if it rang up to be over $30).
My mom. She has dedicated her entire life to just helping people. I have seen her giveaway books and Bibles. While buying groceries or meals for families in need … all while sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from all three of them, it’s that there’s no “one” way to helping people. We all can H.E.L.P. by bringing Hope, Encouragement, Love, or Peace into the lives of others in the smallest or biggest ways. It can be through the smile that we have, a kind word of encouragement that we give, or an unforgettable action that all represents the Love of Christ to others.
Thank you for reading!
If you would like to find more of my work please visit my Substack page at
Merissa, I just love you. You fill this space with so much light and although I am probably older than your mom, I am inspired by you to do better. Thank you for such a beautiful story and reminder of H.E.L.P. I secretly love to do this, but of course, can struggle and get wrapped up in other things. This was such a sweet and definitely romantic story. Thank you. oxox
Love this, Merissa!