Theme 1

A soft pair of hands wrapped tightly around a coffee cup. Wringing the brown sleeve, they leave behind traces of sweat with every twist. A silver ring rests precariously on the fourth digit. The hands release their chokehold on the coffee cup. The left sits atop the right, absentmindedly sliding the delicate silver on and off, on and off, on and off. Another, larger pair of hands lie facedown on the table. Straining to hold still, the knuckles turn a dangerous shade of white. These hands once had a ring, too – this ring now lies ten and a half feet away, submerged in the Starbucks’ waste bin.

A phone is produced by the smaller hands. Trembling, they pass the phone to its larger, rougher counterpart. They fold together. The coffee cup is forgotten atop the table. The undecorated hands, examining the contents of the phone, begin to shake. The delicate phone, not built for high levels of pressure, nearly snaps. The hands, scrolling through the phone, freeze. Both hands stop. The left hand, rising slowly, arcs back and releases. The phone soars through the air. Baristas and patrons alike gasp and duck. The phone lands with a whip-crack behind the counter, shattering into hundreds of pieces. Fearful silence fills the air. And, with that, the large hands depart. The small hands, abandoned in the booth, decidedly slide the ring off. Drop it on the counter. And slink away.