The Lifeguard ©2022 R.G. Ryan Recently widowed, he sat at a corner table in St. Arbuck's—a good-looking man of middle age with thin hair running to gray, wire-framed glasses, and a neatly trimmed beard. Dressed in Dockers, polo shirt and stylish shoes, to glance at him you'd think he was stopping in for a coffee … Continue reading The Lifeguard

©2022 R.G. Ryan My wife and I were at the shrine to the Green Mermaid doing our usual thing—she conquering yet another sudoku puzzle and me reading through the local fish wrap while enjoying our beverages of choice. A young mother and her son entered and sat at the table right in front of us. … Continue reading Love You Forever…

The Old Couple ©2008 R.G. Ryan (This story first appeared in Snapshots at St. Arbuck’s Vol I) The old couple sat by the window—he, nearing eighty, she, looking back to see seventy. It was early Sunday morning at St. Arbuck’s and I was at my usual place in the corner. There is something about busy … Continue reading The Old Couple

(From “Snapshots at St. Arbuck’s Vol 1, ©2008 R.G. Ryan) I sat there at my usual place in St. Arbuck’s experiencing the same empty-headed stupor that had assailed me most of the week, sipping coffee while watching busy people come and go in a kind of spontaneously synchronized rhythm. But even they seemed dull. Nothing … Continue reading La Petite Princess

(This story first appeared in “Snapshots at St. Arbuck’s Vol II”) ©2012 R.G. Ryan Singing. I heard singing. Behind me. It was loud enough to compete with the in-store sound system at a typically busy St. Arbuck's on a fall day that felt more like early summer. I turned partway around in my chair to identify the … Continue reading Always Right

Jake and Aaron Go for Coffee ©2022 R.G. Ryan "Did you watch the Oscars Sunday night?" asked Aaron Perry—world famous jazz artist and my best friend. We stood in line for coffee at the shrine of the Green Mermaid, each of us scanning the vastly reduced seating area in hopes of something opening up by … Continue reading Jake and Aaron Go For Coffee

It's windy today here in Alpine. Not the gentle sea breezes I recall from a childhood spent on the central coast of California, but the kind of gale that tests the mettle of everything in its path. Trees bend, windows rattle, and roofs threaten to disintegrate one tile at a time. High profile vehicles such as my SUV … Continue reading Blowin’ In the Wind

Mattie ©2010 R.G. Ryan Mattie will be 80 on his next birthday although at this point he doesn't think he'll live to see it. I was sitting with him last week at St. Arbuck's talking about politics and life in general...and suddenly he wasn't there. Eyes glazed over, head drooping, breathing gone shallow, and on … Continue reading Mattie

The coffee shop was atypically quiet this early spring morning. The usual hordes of people were missing. The only thing breaking the silence was the casual banter between the sleep-deprived baristas behind the counter, who had been there since 4:00 a.m., and John Prine singing about “Summer’s End” on satellite radio. My cell phone was off—witness … Continue reading Just Sittin’…Thinkin’

The early morning sun danced over the ocean's surface as blithely as a bride at her wedding reception. Scents of lavender, mixed with a myriad of unrecognizable, exotic tropical smells, filled the air with a potpourri of fragrance enlivening my senses and refreshing my soul. St. Arbuck's in Ka'anapali, on Maui's north shore, was filled … Continue reading Life, One Sip at a Time: Of Trombones and Trajectories