Fair Haven Familiar Face (Blog #2)

Fair Haven Familiar Face

    As a young child, every day was good when I could go for a walk. I would leave my little yellow house and head out on my morning walk with my parents. The walk consisted of stopping at the dock and admiring all the boats in the river and the animals down there. The Java Stop coffee shop was the second walk stop because I could get a hot chocolate and a treat, and we would sit outside on the oversized Adirondack chairs. Inside the Java Stop was an employee who always said hi to me. I didn't know her name at the time, but I always said hello. As I grew older and the Java Stop turned into Booskerdoo Coffee Shop, I finally learned who that woman was. 

     I saw this woman in the Coffee Shop and outside riding her bike with her dog through town. I remember asking my dad, "Who is the woman who worked at the Java Stop, we always see her, and I remember her from when I was little." Once I moved to another house, we didn't go to the Java Stop as much and there was a new coffee place in construction so I hadn't seen this woman in awhile. My dad explained to me that her name was Trudi Williams. 

    Trudi is a thinner African American woman with a shaved head, tiny glasses and a huge smile on her face. She is a no-frills kind of person in a town that has many frills. My dad had shared with me that he went to school with Trudi from Kindergarten to High School in the Fair Haven School District. Trudi and her family were one of the only black families living in Fair Haven, but they had firm roots here. She was raised by many generations who remain in Fair Haven.

     Today, Trudi works at Booskerdoo, the coffee place that took over the Java Stop. Trudi has worked through four different coffee places that have been there. She has brown skin with big brown eyes. I have only seen her with a shaved head. She also has a huge smile when you walk through those double wooden doors. You are greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of Trudi saying, "What's up, Margot." Trudi is a genuine and down to Earth woman. She is a friend to all. 

     Trudi struggled with a disability in school, but you would have never known. She was known by many growing up despite; being in separate classes. She has an outgoing personality in the sense that she will say hi to anybody, and from the outside, there are no noticeable special needs that have interfered with her work life. She has been a barista for over 20 years at whatever coffee store may land at the corner of DeNormandie St. 

    When I was in middle school, my dad's new office was a few buildings down from Booskerdoo. When the new coffee place opened, we had to try it out. Right away, the first face we saw was Trudi. My sister, dad, and I would go to Booskerdoo after school every day and get a warm chocolate chip cookie and an iced tea. Every time we would go, we had intentions to run into Trudi and hear about her day while she always asked about ours. She is so personable and easy to talk to. If one of us wasn't there she would always ask why.

    Trudi shows interest in what everyone has to say. I could go to any coffee place nearby, and there sure are many. I choose to go to Booskerdoo because I love being greeted by someone who is passionate about her job and her customers. Our area is very much known to be "stuck up" and working at a coffee place cant be easy when you have customers who are very entitled. Despite the area, Trudi always has her head held high and treats everyone with kindness. 

  It is now 2023, and I look forward to seeing Trudi Williams at Booskerdoo. She has to ability to put a smile on everybody's face. Her kindness and genuine personality make this possible in a hectic world, but Trudi remains vital to being down to Earth. The simple questions, "How are you" or "What have you been up to" makes the world slow down just a tiny bit when you reflect on all that you do. The revolving door of Booskerdoo and the many customers going to whatever coffee shop may end up on the corner because they know Trudi will be there.

     The world needs more people like Trudi who make you stop your busy life and just engage in conversation. Many times, you are in a rush to grab your coffee to run to the next place but Booskerdoo is not the place to run out. Trudi cares about the way she makes the coffee and the way others treat her. She is so kind and makes you feel heard and cared about in the best ways.