Joseph Stephens and the Pumpkin spice

The crisp Fall air blew in from the north and collided with the warm air of summer. After weeks of warm weather the season finally started to show itself. Joseph Stephens was driving down the street in his bent up jalopy, the windows were down and he smelled a hint of wood smoke. Joseph thought two things, first was how much he loved wood smoke and how comforted he felt when he smelled it and secondly, it was early in the morning and someone not only woke up earlier than Joseph but had the energy and motivation to start a fire. Joseph didn’t like morning people but if some nut was awake and filling the air with the warm comforting smell of wood smoke, he would give them a pass.

Unforeseen circumstances dragged Joseph out of bed earlier than he would have like and though it wasn’t ideal having to bail his friend Jaye out of jail at seven in the morning, at least Joseph was able to enjoy the ride home. While driving the infamous green Jalopy, Joseph passed by his favorite coffee place, “Jerk Toff Jimbo’s Coffee and creamery”. Below the sign of a smiling cartoon Jimbo was a wooden sign in the shape of a pumpkin hanging from a metal pole with a chain on either side connecting the pole to the wooden sign. The sign read “Pumpkins back Bitches” in an elegant styled font that had been carved into the wood of the sign. Joseph knew that sign meant Jimbo’s was serving pumpkin coffee and other pumpkin flavored foods.

The morning was getting better and better and Joseph still had some money left even after posting Jaye’s bail. Luckily Jaye only got into weird trouble and the bail was set for five dollars and thirty-eight cents. The Police officer almost gave Joseph a reward for taking Jaye Williams away from there, but that would have been against the rules.

Joseph Stephens parked his car and as he slowed to a stop smoke came out from the back of his car. Joseph sighed then opened his car door and walked toward the coffee shop. As Joseph approached the brightly lit coffee shop a swarm of young single white girls flooded out of the shop talking loudly while staring at their phone. Joseph Stephens was almost run over by the gaggle of girls. The smell of pumpkin coffee floated through the air as the girls passed by. These girls were pumpkin spice armatures and made pumpkin lovers look bad. Joseph had been shaped into the person he was by Autumn. For many the love of pumpkin didn’t extend passed “OH MAH GOD BECKY, This is like SO good”. Joseph could write poetry about autumn and his love for pumpkin.

Joseph approached the coffee counter “I’d like two pumpkin coffees please” Joseph said. “would you like Creeeaaam and sugar?” Asked Jimbo with one raised eyebrow and smiling with a full row of white teeth. “Y-yeah” Joseph stammered, taken aback by how creepy Jimbo was. People often forgot that Jimbo molested post office workers in his free time, yet somehow he continued to get customers.

Joseph waited by a large support beam that was painted to look like a giant cup of coffee holding up the ceiling. “Heeeere you go sir” Said Mr. Jimbo. Joseph took his cup of piping hot pumpkin spice coffee and took a slow sip.

Joseph’s mind flooded with pictures of autumn, scenery, sights, smells, nostalgia and enjoyable times with friends who hadn’t been put in prison for Llama fighting. Buying an over priced pumpkin spice flavored caffeine drink was Joseph’s first tradition of fall. It was his way of welcoming in the new season and preparing himself for the good times ahead. The caffeine made Joseph feel more awake and the artificial flavors of pumpkin pie spices gave him the warm fuzzy schmood that he always loved.

Joseph walked to his car, feeling even happier than when he first left his poor old, beat up, green car. Smoke billowed from the back of Joseph’s car and Joseph sighed again but he wasn’t about to let the smoke ruin his mood. Joseph started his car and continued on his way home. The whole drive home he thought about the future and how this Autumn season would play out. The trees hadn’t started to change colors yet but the cool air and the pumpkin coffee made Joseph feel a little closer to autumn.

Joseph finally arrived home, he parked, opened his car door and took the two pumpkin coffees from their drink tray. He stood up and walked over to his trunk. Joseph continued sipping the one coffee and placed the second coffee on the hood of his car. Joseph then took out his keys and opened the trunk. Inside was Jaye Williams, who had been cooking a ham in  a makeshift grill that he cobbled together from coat hangers and lighter fluid. The ham was raw all the way through, except on the bottom where it had been burnt black. Thick black smoke billowed from the trunk and Jaye looked dead. “I got your coffee” Joseph said. Jaye didn’t respond. “Its pumpkin spice” Joseph added, his tone was bored and slightly annoyed. Jaye sprang up and jumped out of the trunk. Jaye didn’t want the silly inconvenience of being dead in a trunk to ruin his chance of having a pumpkin spice coffee in the beginning of the season.

Joseph closed his car doors and trunk while Jaye sipped his coffee, holding the cup like a squirrel holds an acorn. “alright, I’m going back to bed. I’ll see you later” Joseph said. “Yeah, later” Jaye said while he took small quick sips from his large to-go cup. “Are you heading home?” Joseph asked as the two men stood in Joseph’s front yard. “Oh yeah, of course” Jaye replied, still focused on his coffee.

Joseph looked annoyed as Jaye stood there and nibbled the plastic top to his coffee. “Get out of here ya freak!” Joseph shouted. Jaye sprang up in the air and started to scamper away as soon as he landed. Jaye ran off into the cool morning mist while he held his coffee with both hands and shuffled along the ground with his feet like a squirrel trying to cross the road. As Jaye disappeared into the distance Joseph thought about the upcoming season and was already planning for Halloween. As a crisp Fall breeze blew passed Joseph, he thought about how thankful he was for autumn, pumpkin spice coffee and that weird squirrel boy Jaye that he called his best friend.