Small Steps

The coffee that ends up staining Armpit’s sweatshirt symbolizes the beginning and end of Armpit and Kaira’s romance but offers a glimmer of hope for the future. The coffee, a “double cappuccino” with whipped cream is described in detail. It is decadent and “served in the size of soup bowls” (227). The extravagance, luxury, and pleasure symbolize Kaira and Armpit’s budding romance and a lifestyle that Armpit could only have dreamed of. Minutes later, the coffee is splattered over Armpit’s sweatshirt, symbolizing the abrupt end to a fairytale romance and the beginning of the nightmare waiting for them at the hands of Jerome. The coffee stains are permanent, and months after the attack they still remind Armpit of Kaira. When Armpit hears Kaira’s new, “fragile” song on the radio after months of silence, the lyrics refer to that moment in the café. Kaira uses the splattered coffee stains to symbolize the uncertainty she is facing while also letting Armpit know that she is thinking of him and hoping they can someday reconnect. The song touches Armpit to his core: “Just to make it through the day and not get hurt, / Seems about the best that I can hope. / Like coffee stains splattered on your sweatshirt, / There isn’t any pattern.