THE MOMENT
"Oh, God. What is it now?" Elena was not surprised to see the well-dressed customer at her door. It seemed like he found an important concern to complain about every day. When he first became a regular, with regular complaints, Elena found it amusing. She thought his issues were so trivial that he must be making them up; perhaps in order to chat with her some more. But, it wasn't long before God wore his welcome thin. Elena was glad that he wouldn't be her problem for much longer.
"I just wanted to put you at ease, my child," God said. Elena no longer bothered trying to roll her eyes discreetly. He never noticed anyway.
"About what, God?" she asked. Her voice was filled with faux-sincerity, like a parent that's run out of patience. The meek, clean-cut man glanced towards the open door, but there was no one there. He leaned over the desk close to Elena.
"It's okay, I know the troubles that.... trouble your soul," he said. "You need not worry about your finances, God will provide." Elena tilted her head at him.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"You don't need to sell the coffee shop!" he said. "You guys make it just the way I like it... most of the time. I don't feel like finding another shop that's barely good enough. So, just tell God what you need to stay."
Elena held back her laughter; but, only for a moment. She realized she did not have to be a professional right then and she erupted with a fit of giggles.
"Okay, God, here's the situation," she said. "You've been coming here for almost a year now, and not once have you ever paid for a drink," Elena raised an eyebrow an God began to defend himself.
"You've never charged me! I thought it was a professional courtesy!" His response only made Elena giggle again. She nodded.
"That's right, you've never been charged. We serve deities, demons, and monsters here NO ONE gets charged," she said.
"Well, no wonder you needed to sell the place...," God mumbled.
"You thick idiot," Elena said. She was enjoying every moment of the interaction. She no longer had to hide behind enforced customer service. "I'm not in this for the money. This isn't a business, it's a service. Money isn't a factor in anything that goes on here," she said.
"Then why did you sell the place?" God asked.
"You know what?" Elena grinned. "Why don't you tell me why I sold it? If you're God and know everything, then why did I sell the ExistaBrew?"
"God doesn't meddle in-,"
"Oh shut up," Elena said. "You're harmless enough that people don't mind humoring you. But, half the customers out there qualify as 'Gods'. You're not any more powerful than any of them; you're just noisier. And, starting tomorrow, this isn't my job and you're not my problem anymore."
"But.. who's going to take your place?" God asked. Elena shrugged.
"Someone from Sharp Development I guess," she said.
"Fine, I don't really know," he said suddenly. "But I want to! What convinced you to sell to a new owner if you're not even in it for the money."
"Well, I really love my job, but they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Franchise deal!" she said. Elena stood from her desk and walked around it to God.
"You're opening another one?" God asked. He was confused, but let Elena help him to his feet.
"Yep!" Elena nodded. She moved him towards the open door. "I get to keep doing everything I love with one key improvement."
"What's that?" God asked. She winked at him, then gently pushed him over the threshold.
"I get to do it somewhere else," Elena closed the door.