The Late Night Coffee Drinkers

Pre-Departure Coffee

"Any damning reports" Millie was in a phone call with her NY based editor, Noah, asked. She frowned, sometimes a damning report could lead you to becoming a kebab especially in a chaotic host state and today's volatility, similarly to the Rohingya Reuters reporters to Kashoggi. Though she has nothing to worry about but she also needs to eat and afford her coffee. "Asian market reaction to the growing trade war between Trump and Xin is affecting the emerging markets and also there political allegiance" she replied. "Write about it, ciao" Noah hung up. Millie tuned in, gathered her notes and started typing.

"Rising inflation, is one of the primary reaction to US and China Trade War. Hong Kong, being the hardest hit where the prices rapidly increased in just a short time" as the initial first draft of her article goes. Carefully examining data, forex index and equity market index.

That early evening, Millie and Olivia had met, after all it would be a cool down for both stressed expats.

"I am going to Vietnam and Singapore for a workshop tomorrow, excited to be leaving even if it is only just for a short period" Olivia just started drinking her large skinny latte.

"Have you ever been to Vietnam and Singapore" Olivia asked. Truth be told, Millie is becoming bored with the gibberish conversations with Olivia. Her smiles are of politeness, her mind was elsewhere. She's a journalist, for crying out loud, over educated but underpaid and the quiet down time of small skirmish talks brings no justice.

"I've been in Singapore, it is very clean and well organised. People are disciplined, hardworking and the opposite of what we see here" Millie told the hard truth about her experience. "As for Vietnam, I've never been but I heard it is the real emerging market".

"I heard the Vietnamese are disciplined" Millie shared her impression on them. "Have you been to elsewhere in Asia" Olivia asked as she hasn't explored Asia, and is wary on them because of her experience in their host country.

"Singapore is very clean and disciplined, I had classmates from Singapore there's this one girl who is overly friendly and overly materialistic. The other ones are very hardworking and have good work ethics. I think you would love it there, your students here are the polar opposite of the Singaporeans" an honest feed back. Being a journalist and a writer for years, Millie can read people sharply whether they're lying or not, whether they're credible or not but it all boils down to authenticity and honesty.

"If only I was sent to the right country then I'd be making walnuts not aflatoxin contaminated cheap peanuts" Millie took her frustration on her grande soy latte.

"I know what you mean... the people here. When I was teaching in Mexico, the students are serious. Here, as you've seen the test papers of my students are empty" Olivia sighed out of frustration. "They cannot even write their full name on their exams" Millie laughed at them.

"That's only a language that uses Latin letters, imagine if it's Russian" Millie said. "They won't even last a day in a former USSR classroom" Olivia laughed "but it's frustrating as a teacher". Millie felt for her friend "why can't you just say they're stupid - it's only me and you".

"My students are probably the reason why, I am no longer liking the idea of having children. Too much hard work to be having kids twenty four hours a day" Olivia bluntly confessed while fiddling with her coffee cup sleeve.

"Isn't that why you enroll and send your kids to school to get them out of the house" Millie raised a good point. "I like kids, and I'd rather teach kids and adults. That's the nice thing about being a teacher, you just borrow the kids and return them to their parents with a note 'please fix your children'." Olivia told Millie, and they laughed it out. "Now you gave me a fright to have children" Millie confessed. "Yes, because they cost so much money, just like my brother he has another kid and he isn't doing well financially" Olivia went on about it, presuming Millie's opinion. "What I meant was, paying for tuition only for my kids to be destroyed by teachers like you" Millie intended some humour, thankfully Olivia laughed at this.

Despite this, they've managed to sit down comfortably on a cushioned sofa with Olivia's hand up, while the other is holding her cup of coffee. Millie has her legs stretched long, enjoying a legroom under the table.

"I can say that, my students in Mexico are of the same age and they're able to perform well on exams and in class, and getting good grades" she finally came to admit. "Whereas here, the teachers probably hate me maybe even the parents of the children, but I'd rather be hated for doing my job right".

"I wish there's more people like you, but this is probably why we are friends... at least we've found someone real and principled, and not fake and policy based" Millie immorally (and mistakenly) thought. At least for now, the soy latte tasted sweet and the joy of the company overpowers the bitterness of the coffee.

John entered the cafe, greeted Millie and he and Olivia met for the first time.

"Can he join us" Millie politely asked, "he seems nice who's he?" John ordered not his usual, but a decaf latte to soothe him for an evening sleep. "He's a Canadian, we also met here... a very nice person in good spirits", Olivia agreed to have a new friend. Millie signalled John to join them.

"John this is my friend Olivia from Poland, and this is my friend John from Canada". John took a sip, "when we were kids we drink milk before bed... it's decaf latte tonight, like coffee flavoured milk" he explained.

"Did you say Poland? My father came from Finland and my mother came from Hungary so we are like neighbours but I am Canadian" John is friendly to the people whom he think he can trust. Otherwise, he will just walk pass you. "What do you do here" he asked.

"I'm a German language teacher" Olivia replied, "I work in insurance" taking a sip of his caffeine free latte.

"Do you like it here" John asked, Millie laughed as the question is an implied statement of hating the reality of living in their host country. John and Millie often avoid expats who have no slightest hate or dislike of their host country, because they've either become one of them therefore polluted or lying for the sake of being diplomatic. Who would love to be stuck in a traffic jam with motorists who cannot drive and the pitiful trivial lifestyle the inhabitants.

"No" because why else would he ask if she likes it here. People who like living somewhere need not to ask but assumed they're on the same a boat. Sometimes... A question is just a very subtle way of declaration.