september.
bey.
I sat across from Oni, watching her read her menu but I knew she knew what she wanted already. Once, at Orange, she told me that her go to was chicken and waffles. I thought that was real basic, but she loved it.
She looked up from her menu with a girlish smile.
"You know what you want?" I asked her and she nodded, "Drink and everything?" I asked and again she nodded. "Damn girl."
She laughed and put her menu down onto the table. "What? I told you whenever I go get brunch, I get the same thing."
The waiter came around with our mimosas, two tiny pieces of mint floating on the inside of our glasses. He didn't say a word. He just smiled and walked away.
"This is really what I came for."
"It's too early to be getting drunk."
"You believe there's a time limit on drinking? It's always five o'clock somewhere. Plus it's your birthday."
It was not my birthday and she was using me as an excuse, but that was fine.
"Do you know what you want?"
"I'll just copy you. I don't know what I want."
"You're going to enjoy it. You say chicken and waffles is basic but these are different. The chicken is moist and crispy but not crispy enough that it ruins the experience and the waffles are real soft. I promise you're gonna love it."
I couldn't help myself from smiling. She was so excited, and it may have been over something as simple as chicken and waffles, but genuine happiness looked good on her. It looked good on everyone.
"I'm serious you're gonna like it."
"I never doubted you."
"So why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just listening."
The waiter came around to take our orders, smiling extra hard at her face. He was absolutely consumed by her, asking about her skirt, her order, and everything under the sun. I hadn't seen him write a word on that pad. It wasn't just her beauty that had him trapped. It was the way she conversed with him, talking like whatever he was saying was just that interesting. Or maybe she was actually interested. He stood there for an extra ten minutes talking to her before his co-workers called for him to go do his job.
By the time he left, we'd finished our mimosas and he brought back two more and a wink before he ran off.
"I think I'm going to make you my last client today."
"Why? You can't hold your liquor?"
She took a big gulp of her mimosa, "I'm grown babe."
"That's what you call peer pressure."
We both giggled and finished our second mimosa right when the food came. I was more than thankful because I could feel this alcohol in my veins already. I wanted to go to the bar and ask if this shit was 80 proof.
I could smell it as soon as he set it down, and she was so eager that she almost burned herself. She took a bite of the chicken immediately, breathing and hoff hoffing to cool it down.
"Spit it out Oni."
She shook her head no and kept on chewing until it was safe for her to swallow.
"It's never that good."
"It is. Eat it."
"Not if it makes me act like that."
"It's so good it's worth burning your mouth."
