  I saw Matt’s car in front of the place but I didn’t see him on the way to my seat. The girl with the long torso and natural breasts (a rarity) got me a coffee shake (Ed and me had made up a mnemonic device to remember her name but we can’t remember what it is). “How’s it all going?” Blank stare. “In other words, how are you?” “OK. What do you want?” Not the most talkative of the crew. No fruit stuffed in the whipped cream either but she did drizzle chocolate syrup over it. Monique hasn’t been by yet but Michelle poked at me when she went by. Last night I met Ed for eats at the local Acapulco. I had eaten a big fat bowl of white rice and some chicken that Aurora made, but I went for this desert they make with a gooey chocolate cake with ice cream and whipped cream (yes, I think that I will adopt Marlon Brando as my new role model).
Our waitress was incredibly cute and Ed asked her what was her extraction. Vietnamese it turns out, although she could have been anything from Polynesian to Mexican to any number of South American nationalities and beyond. After chow we retired to the outdoor patio to drink coffee and so I could smoke. It’s good to remember which places provide a place for smoking here in So Cal. I’m pretty sure that I’ll see a real prohibition in my lifetime. I don’t care who’s in office, which way the politicos drag us, whether or not we have legal and safe abortion or the right to watch disorganized religion on TV; the minute they take away the cigs I’m moving. It may be to the middle of Montana or Wyoming surrounded by right wing wacko militia or in the Arizona desert in the midst of yoga-twisting vegans worshipping rocks. It might be mangling the French language in some gutter in Paris. The minute they take away the smokes the terrorists will have won anyway, so begging forgiveness from the frogs will be officially warranted.
Anyway, back to our racially indeterminate but incredibly cute (she says “I know” when we tell her she’s good looking) waitress. She blanched when we said she could make more money as a coffee-girl instead of slopping hash at a Mexican chain restaurant. She’d rather pick dingle-berries for a living (not exactly her words, but combined with the look on her face it's closer to what she meant). We get the feeling that she has less than respect for our favorite servers. Her grand plan is to get her medical degree and open a free clinic. God bless the beasts and the children, but I’m pretty sure she hasn’t a clue as to whom she’d have to blow the get the money to run the joint. And unless she’s genius enough to qualify for some kind of scholarship (not likely), coffee-girl money will get her farther toward her degree than what she’s doing now.
You wonder (at least I do sometimes) whether it’s a merciful act to tell the young’uns how reality really is, or to hope for divine intervention or plain dumb luck so they may realize their dreams. Sometimes it’s fun to watch them crash and burn. Long-girl came by again to pour tea and noticed that the type on the laptop was very small. What this meant is that she couldn’t read it as she walked behind me. I explained that that was the purpose, and she thought that it was amusing. I made the type larger and watched as she tried to read it. I could have made it poster-size. Monique finally came by and asked how was my day. I actually told what it was like, in that I was supposed to do something that I blew off. That thing was to make a phone call to some Nigerian scam artist in Africa that I’m writing about urlLink elsewhere . I want to set it up just right, and today wasn’t the day. Part of my story to this guy is that my situation includes me being married to a 14 year-old girl.
Monique has one of those little girl voices that she uses and I had the blinding insight that it would be hilarious if Monique was around when I made the call. That idea lasted a non-second or two. Back to my version of reality, this post is long enough and I don’t want to spoil you. Incidental Ambiance: The jukebox tonight includes Sublime. Buy it from here because it is required listening and I get a cut if you do so.
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