The Time Merchant Cafe - Now Open - Paperback

by Ronald G. Mindzak (Author)

If you were offered a glimpse into your future, would you take it? Accepting can save a doomed life or destroy a successful one. If the proprietor, The Immortal Waiter, brings his establishment, The Time Merchant Café, into existence for you, be cautious of his motives. His philosophy, along with his moral compass, are questionable and flexible. If you accept his offer, all you need to do is accept the caveat that once you see your future, it can change. That change can be by design or by accident. The consequences of your view are unpredictable, at least for you. Keep in mind that the Immortal Waiter always has his own reasons for inviting patrons.
Knowing can be a curse. What would you do to preserve a good outcome or to prevent a fatal one? The Waiter has his own reasons for showing you your particular view. Sometimes, that view can provide a happy ending, although the cost could be questionable. The Waiter's definition of a happy ending is dubious and certainly controversial. No matter the outcome, at least to the Waiter, they are always as he planned.
Whatever the ending, the Immortal Waiter at the café literally makes a living from his patron's views. He is quite old and has a long backlog of years, making him virtually immortal. If a customer's life is shortened by their actions after seeing their future, the Waiter's life is extended by the number of unused years. The Waiter's life is also shortened if a customer's life is extended by his or her view. Many people accept the preview, hoping to control their destiny, only to discover that it has shortened their lives, adding years to the Immortal Waiters at the Time Merchant Café.
Some would say showing futures that shorten their lives is self-serving for the Waiter, since shortening their lives extends his. However, one must consider that the Waiter also enjoys living and the fine things life offers. The Waiter believes that in living an immortal life, one needs to enjoy fine wine, good food, and all the pleasures that life has to offer. A stable civilization is the only environment in which he can truly enjoy what life has given him the opportunity to enjoy, seemingly forever. It has been said that he is saving civilization, sometimes one person at a time.
Although questionable, it is also said that over the thousands of years of his existence, the Waiter has developed a soft spot for people. On occasion, he has saved individuals who have added no value to him or to civilization at the cost of taking many years off of his own life. He has found that helping these individuals gives him a good feeling, although his definition of help is, again, controversial.
After you read these short stories taken from the journals of the Time Merchant Café, would you accept the offer from the Waiter? What would his motives be with you? At least have the coffee; it really is the best coffee of any time.