Cafe scene

I sit in a small wicker chair at a dim incandescent café at 6:30pm on a Friday.  A sweet mix of Vietnamese/English music plays in the background as a constant stream of moto commuters make their way to their respective abodes, cafes, or funky bars.  I sit in the back corner, which is also against the simple bar, looking out through both the open front door and the even larger accordion style side door.  Typically, as I enter an establishment, I seem to sit in the seat and at the table that positions me in a place to have the most active view - a win/win when I'm alone because I don't think about other's visual experiences. 

Out the door a small middle aged woman and her significantly younger make counterpart collect the nightly neighborhood rubbish.  He strolls 10 meters down each of three narrowing alleys at the end of the road ringing a loud cow bell.  Residents, as if its as natural as sipping hot tea in the chilly afternoon, bring their rubbish to the woman who stands on the rail of the dumpster cart shoving down the bags of trash. 

Across the street two crusty lads passionately steel each other's Chinese checkers piece under the florescent light.  They are much more relaxed than the gang of dudes who choke down cigs and sunflower seeds as they play game on top of game in front of our apartment by the pond. Every. Single. Night. 

I ask the cute server to fill my glass mug with a hot water so I can are so my sweetened Lipton bag again as wait for Mol to finish her final fitting of her wedding dress.  The smell of nearby cigs wafts into my brain as if they were my own.  I write to ease the familiar jitters associated with the anticipation of loads of upcoming adventure-ridden free time.  After waves of being family sick in the coldest dampest 60° imaginable, a possible dinner date with my dear cousin looms on the horizon before we board a 1:30am flight to Manila to kick off our winter break.  Who knew life would always be asking us to walk the balance between the simple and the complex and find purpose in it all?