He stares at me blankly -- actually, about three of the workers do -- for what seems like an anxious pause. "We can give you this cup sir." And with that he holds up a small thin Styrofoam cup. The kind that has the little colored designs on it, like you'd see at the office water cooler.

"Okay," I say. Any insulation will help, I think to myself. "Do you have any paper bags?" He pulls out two plastic bags. I take them. "Thank you," I say.

When my "Grandisimo Mocha," or whatever this chain calls it, comes up I slip two heat shields over the cup, and place the three-inch-high Dixie over the bottom like a hat. I place an extra lid on the top and turn it slightly to block the sipping hole. Then I surround the cup with a layer of napkins and the two plastic bags. I put my gloves on and wrap my hands around the cup to complete the insulating process. With both my hands wrapped around the cup, held at my midriff, my elbows out to my sides, I know I probably look silly as the military vehicles pass me on the road. The walk is about a mile or so and it is probably about thirty to thirty-five degrees outside. I laugh at myself as I walk, picturing myself as some sort of Aztec altar boy, bringing the chocolate drink to the priest in ceremonial fashion, perhaps before he cuts some poor fool's heart out at the top of some jungle pyramid. But this sacred drink is mine -- and, silly or not, I have been waiting two hours for it.

I'm not taking any chances. When I get back to the transient trailer I am staying in I handle it like it is something sacred. I set it down gently, checking its base for stability before I let it go. I unsling my weapon and place it in the corner and take off my gloves. Then I sit on the edge of the bed next to the coffee. I unwrap the layers slowly, carefully, like some sort of donated organ or something. Alas, the final step, the second lid. Oh, oh, careful, careful. Ah, that's it, precision. I taste it. It's hot. The look on my face could probably be on a billboard ad for the coffee. (Or on the pages of a newspaper with the words "at large" and "institution" somewhere in the heading.) I lay back on the bed and sip the coffee as I read my book. Euphoria.