The grocery store cashier who remembered my dad's coffee order

So my dad passed about 2 years ago. He used to get this specific dark roast with an extra shot at the same corner store every morning before work. I stopped going there for a while after he died because it felt weird. Last week I ran in for milk and the cashier, this older lady named Rosa, just looked at me and said "you're Charlie's kid, right? He used to get the dark roast with an extra shot at 6:45 like clockwork." I nodded and she just handed me a cup, already made. Didn't ask for money. Said "he was a good tipper, always left a dollar in the jar." I sat in my car for like 20 minutes just holding that cup. It was the first time someone outside my family acknowledged him like that. Has anyone else had a random stranger keep a small piece of someone they lost? How do you even process that without getting all weepy at a gas station? Also Rosa is a legend and I'm definitely bringing her a little something next time.

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ray_mitchell23d ago

Ain't it funny how a stranger can remember what you forgot you knew? I can't even remember my own coffee order most days, but Rosa's got your dad's saved in her head like it's her job or something.