From his house, Dale could see Leo’s Lattes. The log cabin coffee shop felt like a haven among the monotony of the town. Unfortunately, a river flowed between Dale and Leo’s Lattes.
There was no bridge close to Dale’s house. It took an hour to get a decent cup of coffee, and crossing the river by boat proved impossible due to the strong currents, which pushed you too far downstream.
Dale dreamed about Leo’s Lattes and made it there once every couple of weeks, but he wanted it to be easier to get his favorite coffee. It was torture to have the shop so close and yet not be able to reach it. Whenever Dale witnessed people emerging from Leo’s Lattes with coffee, he felt taunted.
What Dale needed was a bridge. So, he went to the city council and fought passionately to have his side of the river connect to the other side. The council reluctantly approved because they had collected too much tax revenue, and building a bridge seemed more straightforward than trying to return the money.
Dale never brought up Leo’s Lattes to the city council. He never told Leo, the latte maker, about his plan to get coffee every day. Dale dreamed of finishing the bridge and then becoming a regular at Leo’s. No questions asked.
The bridge hit some snags, and Dale became the project manager. He devoted every waking hour to making the bridge a reality. Finally, after eight long months, there was a bridge!
Dale waited patiently through the bridge dedication and even received a small plaque from the council to acknowledge his service. He couldn’t wait for the ceremony to be over so he could finally walk across the bridge and go to Leo’s Lattes.
However, when the ceremony ended, Leo of Leo’s Lattes approached him.
“Dale, I want to thank you for the bridge,” Leo said. Dale could not believe it. His whole goal was to become a regular at Leo’s Lattes, and even Leo was excited about the bridge.
“Of course,” Dale said. “I love Leo’s Lattes.”
“Well, that’s not why I want to thank you,” Leo said. “My daughter lives on this side of the bridge. Sophie works over here, and we only get to see each other about once a week. Now that the bridge is here, I’ll get to see her every day.”
“That’s great to hear. Maybe we can walk the bridge together after I come to get a latte.”
“That’s the thing,” Leo said. “I’m closing Leo’s Lattes. It was just something I did to pass the time while I waited to see her. Now we have a bridge.”