Wait until the music's over

26. Awakenings (Pt.2)

20:30

I'm finally unwrapping the napkin, carefully folded in a fan shape or star shape or something like that, that has been staring at me for more than half an hour from the plate it was placed on, even if it doesn't have eyes. The waitress passed by three/four times more, without asking anything, just looking and smiling at me, waiting for my signal, which never came. I looked away every single time, pretending to be extremely interested in the $70 lobster on the menu, in the orange calla lilies set in a vase at the centre of the table, so orange they almost seem painted, or in the tip of the trees still covered with white snow or in the...

"Excuse me, Miss, would you start ordering something to drink or...?" the waitress appears beside me out of the blue and takes me aback.

"Ehm... yes, sure" I pretend to read through the wine list, I mean, it's clear that I'm not old enough, and I end up ordering water.

"We also have a selection of non- alcoholic cocktails" the girl adds, sliding a finger into the menu and turning the pages, showing me the right one.

"Oh my, I didn't notice this section hehe" I'd slap my own face. I don't do it and just order a peach cocktail.

"Excellent choice. Don't worry anyway, the snow has been creating problems to a lot of customers today" she says, always smiling, in an attempt to console me.

"Yes, I know, unfortunately..."

"A drink with some appetizers will make the wait more pleasurable, I'll be back soon" the waitress excuses herself with a nod and vanishes in a second, and I go back to my cogitations.

What if he forgod? No, it's impossible! Maybe he's stuck in a traffic jam or his car broke... Oh my god, what if he had an accident? Angie, stop it. What if he simply fell asleep like an ass? Maybe in this very moment he's driving to my apartment, thinking that I'm still there waiting for him. And when he doesn't find me, will he understand I'm already here? Sure he'll understand, he's not stupid! And what if something happened to him? Maybe he ran out of gas and... sure... and maybe he had a flat tire, didn't have enough money for cab fare, his suit didn't come back from the cleaners, an old friend came from out of town, someone stole his car, there was an earthquake, a terrible flood, locusts! I shake my head and when I stop shaking it I see a glass in front of me, adorned with straws, paper umbrellas and other sparkling stuff, and a tray full of canapes and appetizers. I thank the waitress and start examining the glass. Without thinking about it, I chose a cocktail whose color matches perfectly the color of the flowers in the vase. If I convinced the waitress I did it on purpose, I'd probably gain some credibility points. And I really need some right now. Before drinking or eating anything, I'm doubtful about what should I do with the napkin: should I place it in my lap? People do that usually, don't they? Why did my parents never take me to places like this? At least I could have made a fool of myself at an age in which nobody gives a fuck if you make a fool of yourself, and most of all you don't give a fuck. I look around trying to see how the other women in the salon did. Shit. Obviously turns out all women are sitting on the opposite direction, so it's impossible for me to see their thighs. No, wait! A woman down there has just stood up and she's clearly taken the napkin from her lap to place it on the table. That's it! I knew that, go Angie! I put the napkin on my legs and lift up the glass. Fortunately, I immediately figure out I should remove at least part of the decorations if I don't wanna lose an eye because of a fucking paper umbrella, so I take all those stuff away, placing them on the edge of the small plate under the glass. Is it the right place? Oh, I don't have a fucking clue, I don't care and I'm thirsty. Mmm at least it's good.

21:00

I did my best to eat slowly and make appetizers last as long as possible, but I can't chew an olive 458 times. And I've drunk up the cocktail too, I ate the slice of peach that was on the rim of the glass and I sucked all the ice cubes one by one too, trying to be unnoticed. Two hours late is a lot of time, too much. I'm starting thinking Jerry won't come at all. How much did this fucking non-alcoholic drink cost? And the appetizers? Are they included? Will I have to pay for them? How much money do I have in my purse? I wanna go home, but at the same time I'd push back as far as I can the moment when I'll have to face the waitress and ask for the bill: the idiot little girl abandoned by her boyfriend at a luxury restaurant.