Alfred in his Coffee Bean(er) days (June, 2005)

Normally, Alfred is a part-time Starbucks barista and a full time Cal State LA student. He’s always up for Dodger games, costume parties, hip hop shows and good meals. Alfred is like my little brother, he just lives closer and is more helpful.

Yesterday, Alfred became my personal assistant. It started when I realized that I wouldn’t have time to make or buy lunch. I was working against a rapidly approaching deadline. I had several pages to write for my preliminary findings report and was hungry.

I IM’ed Alfred. I explained my situation. I told him I’d buy him lunch too. He was down.

He came over to pick up the money, took my order and went out to get food. While he was gone, I quietly mourned the death of Marco Antonio Firebaugh and kept on working. He returned with lunch.

Between bites and paragraphs, I got another idea.

Me: Do you have anywhere you need to be later?
Alfred: I have work. I think at 6, but I’m not sure.
Me: Hmmm. Can you help me out?
Alfred: What do you mean?

I explained my predicament. I had a final exam and a report due by 5 pm. I had completed the final exam for the Latinos and the Law course Sunday evening. All I needed to do was print it and drop it off between 4 and 5 at the professor’s office in Bunche Hall. Bunche is up in North Campus, not exactly close to where I needed to turn in the preliminary findings report for my Naturalistic Observation methods course. Plus, driving to campus would make me lose some valuable time I could use writing the findings section on my seven week study of a Danza Azteca group.

Alfred, eternally helpful and good natured, agreed to help me out. He printed and stapled the law final. Then he went and got my car. He drove to campus while I worked on my laptop in the passenger seat. Once on campus, I gave him directions to Bunche and he dropped off the final. We headed back toward my office. A few minutes later, he joined me there and I had him start printing out and labeling appendices A through G. He put my binder together while I worked some more.

I wasn’t even done when he had to leave to get ready for work. I came up with another plan. He’d take my car home, leave the keys with my roommate (or, more likely, hide them) and I’d take the bus home.

Once again, he was down, and even told me I should stop by the Starbucks where he works to grab a chai latté.

You know that Beatles song, “I get by with a little help from my friends”? Well, it fits perfectly well here.

Thanks, Alfred.