Yesterday I bought a Coke from my office vending machine and was reminded of all the different places and enjoyments I've had with that delicious cola over the years. That satisfying cuh-ruck after pulling the tab, tiny frosted beadlets of water dripping down the side of the can that is shockingly cold at first touch, and the sweet syrup and its bubbly, refreshing taste.
Back in grade school I started drinking Coke out of the school vending machine because my mom wouldn't buy it for us. We were allowed it out at dinner or on special occasions, but we never had flat half-empty two liters sitting in the fridge like my friends, and frankly, I was glad about it, because if it had been that obtainable, it would have no longer been special. So maybe once a week, or twice a week if it was hot out, I'd buy one and a bag of chips form the school vending machine and my friends and I would wait for the bus outside the school and finish our snacks before boarding, because neither food nor drink was allowed, and on the bus being excited and energized from the sugar and the caffeine and not even tuckered out by the time we were dropped off because the excitement of a play date had pumped the natural adrenaline into our veins to replace the diminishing artificiality.
I remembered drinking warm Coke which had sat on porch steps in hot sun for an hour, and going to restaurants and feeling the carbonation bubbles sparkle on my peachfuzzed cheek after leaning forward to sip from the straw and pluck one of the extra cherries I had asked for from the Roy Rogers, and it gave me a powerful feeling of indulgence and I took a second long sip from the still ice cold can and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and let out a refreshed sigh of fulfillment. I felt the little burst of caffeine and after a shorter third sip and a longer, head-tilted fourth, I threw the empty can in the trash hearing its shallow clank as it knocked against the sides of the bin. Heading back to my desk I couldn't believe that it had been so many weeks since I'd had a Coke. It felt good to pay homage to my youth and my appreciation for Coke and office vending machines.
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