Every morning at eight, a tall foreigner with a red notebook sat by the window. His name was Ben, a English teacher who had lived in Thailand for twenty years. He was polite and spoke Thai with a accent. Mint was too shy to speak English, but Ben was . He taught her a new every day and wrote it on a napkin. Mint practiced the phrases while she washed cups, and soon she could greet foreign tourists . Ben also became a of Grandma Bua. The two of them argued about cooking and football. Ploy noticed that Ben’s notebook was full of handwriting, and one day she asked what he was writing. He explained that he was writing a book about the of the lane. He had interviewed many old residents, including Grandma, whose were vivid and funny. Ben said a café is a place to write, because it is never silent. Ploy offered him a discount, but he refused , saying that good coffee deserves a fair price. From then on, his table by the window was reserved for him.