Leaving Seattle A Spoof of "Leaving Las Vegas" It is expected that the reader is familiar with the Mike Figgis production. Abstract: A software engineer from Microsoft develops a coffee addiction, and moves from Redmond to Seattle to kill himself by drinking coffee. He is befriended by a Starbuck hostess and cared for by her until his death. The story begins with Ben going from cafe to cafe, binging on coffee. A rush of visual images of cafes and coffee drinking. Double mochas, pints of espresso, drinking large lattes while driving in his car. A cop passes him, and slows to investigate what Ben is doing while driving. Ben hides the coffee and the jelly donut from the cop. Ben is then called into Bill Gates' office. Bill informs Ben that he has to let him go. His severence pay includes a copy of Windows 95 and coupons for Starbucks. Ben then decides, in a fit of rage, to destroy all of his computer equipment, his software, everything, and move from Redmond to Seattle to kill himself by drinking coffee. When he arrives in Seattle, he gets a room in a little college-town bed and breakfast, near four different coffeehouses. The reason for the choice of accommodations: the sign on the outside of the inn reads "Gourmet Coffee". A scene of Ben sitting in his room, drinking General Foods International Coffees straight from the can with no water, just the powder, can by can. Ben is watching the scene in Pulp Fiction where Travolta and Jackson are in Tarantino's house, sipping fresh coffee. Ben just loves the line, "Sheeeeeit, Jimmie, this is gourmet coffee. This is the good shit." Ben keeps rewinding it over and over again. Ben then goes to Starbucks to cash in his coupon from Bill Gates. He meets Sera, a former coffee waitress from the Royal Ground Coffeehouse in San Francisco, but now she is making espresso drinks in Starbucks in Seattle. She has violated the Royal Ground Coffeehouse Coffee Club rule: you can't go into Starbucks. Her manager appears one day to question her about this, and shake her down for some free Starbucks coffee. "Will you make me a pint of espresso? I will pay you $10, " says Ben. "That isn't on the menu. I am not supposed to make it," replies Sera. "Ok then, I will pay you $20. I will go over here and distract everyone while you make it. You can put it in a paper cup so everyone thinks it is a mocha." "Yeah, ok, shhhhh. Just go wait over there, I will bring it to you." Ben goes to sit at a counter chair, shaking and sweating. He sees a cut girl. "Want to play a game of chess?" he askes the coffeehouse-fly. Sera brings the pint of espresso, and Ben drinks it in one gulp. It is love at first sight. Sera brings Ben back to her apartment. She puts on a pot of coffee. Ben starts chewing on fresh grounds. The love story begins. Sera buys Ben some presents. A cafe shirt and "Bottomless Cup" plastic coffee mug from a local cafe. "I have met my dream girl," Ben remarks. The story ends the same way "Leaving Las Vegas" does. Ben does finally die of coffee poisoning. Sera is left alone, and still working at Starbucks making coffee drinks she doesn't believe in.