Raja Afrika of the Afrika 8
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Not All Who Wander Are Lost

How the Right Choice of Coffee Saved My Honeymoon or The Kindness of Baristas
Posted: Monday, August 17, 2015

Kathleen and my wedding day was perfect.

It didn't go perfectly but it was perfect. It was made so by the kindness and generosity of our friends and family and it was really humbling. We had a blemish on the evening when The Hospitality Inn discriminated against us and would not honor our reservation. Both Kathleen and I were in shock that something like that can happen in 2015. Anyways, let it be known that The Hospitality Inn in Portland, OR discriminates against interracial newlyweds.

But after that we had a brilliant dinner at O’Conner’s in Hillsdale and the next day we went to Breitenbush Hot springs were they staff giggled a bit at our honeymooner status and then let us soak our cares away in the natural hot springs and geo-thermally powered Sauna. We came back home to our life, 4 kids and my Mom all glowy and then... we couldn't find Kathleen's bag; the bag with all the wedding gift money in it, Kathleen's phone and wallet! We spent about 2 days tearing up the house looking for it. We rifled repeatedly through the car. It was a hard time.

A couple of days later I had a meeting with my Capoeira teacher to talk about how we can promote this Brazilian art form in Portland. After the meeting I thought I would stop and get some Coffee and Danishes to cheer up my new wife. Starbucks was right next door to Baker and Spice. I spent a moment contemplating this choice when I chose quality over speed. I went into Baker and Spice and picked out a Lemon Cake, a Katie's Bun and 2 Americanos. As I was ringing up my order the Barista Meghan says "Hey what's your name?!" "Afrika. Raja Afrika." "OMG! I found a bag in the bathroom the other day and the only thing I saw with a name on it was a check made out to Kathleen and Raja Afrika!" Me: "Oh.My.God! You FOUND OUR BAG?!?!?! The next 10 minutes were of me exclaiming like this and kissing Meghan on the cheek and then gushing some more.

I came home with Coffee, Danish and a bag full of wedding money.
There was much rejoicing.
and things got brighter
Give Thanks!


I shudder to think I almost went into Starbucks.