Forgetting everything and everybody, John and Millie headed for "Buddha Bar" waiting for Francesca at the entrance. They can feel the cool air from the air conditioning unit, and hear the eclectic selection of house music played live by the DJ.
Francesca arrived, happy to be reunited with her friends. Sporting her usual Marc Jacobs bag, short black skirt and mint green top.
'I'm so happy I didn't swallow my pride, I wouldn't want us to think that we came with a Chinese Buddha' Millie said as they entered, and Fran and John laughed understanding their private joke. It is easy to mean to people mean to you and your friends, there must be a special place on Earth to those who can contain their inner imperfection.
They were led to their table, the restaurant wasn't full but there were many customers... they weren't minding any other diners. The music helps a lot to camouflage the unnecessary noise from eaters, especially that John and Millie have misophonia - people who find noisy eating annoying. The dim lights also help on not minding people who eat with their mouths open. 'This is probably the best restaurant for not minding people' Millie had said, 'I totally agree' John seconded the notion.
They ordered some sushi and some spring rolls for appetizer and beef, chicken and seafood dishes on the menu, and cocktails to wash them down. Feasting the night away... aware their lease is running out, making the most of what they can.
'For some reason the song from the last seven minutes was really awesome, but now it mellowed down with weird lyrics' John noticed, as he dipped his prawn on a sauce and entered it into his mouth taking in every juice of the meat from the sea. 'It's like buying a CD back in the day, you enjoy the few minutes of pleasure in exchange of $10 of rubbish though at least you can put it on repeat. Or a cassette tape, you rewind the good tracks and you fast forward the bad tracks but sometimes you have to listen to the end of the bad track just to begin the good track correctly - the way it supposed to be heard'.
'How old are we again' John asked, and they laughed it off.
'I'm twenty pounds lighter, thigh gap, unpublished articles, unread novels and unpaid scripts ago' Millie raised her glass.
'I'm a sex change surgery, pills of estrogen, skin bleach, nose lift, lip botox and vaginoplasty ago' Francesca raised her glass.
'I was in the closet, now out of it and perpetually single ago' John raised his glass.
'To friendship and to life changes' they toasted away their past issues, looking forward come what may.
'By the way, we are five hundred cups of coffee, hours of free air conditioning, two cafe management, twenty barista and hundred bottles iced tea ago' John said, and they all agreed.
YOU ARE READING
The Late Night Coffee Drinkers
Fiksi UmumAn intimate group of thirty something friends an expat journalist, a Canadian underwriter and a transsexual local real estate agent living in the metropolis, gather round for coffee pondering their lives, their relationships, their careers, and thei...
