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“Hey, long time no see, stranger!” She laughed jokingly.
“What are you drinking?” I asked. It had an unusual coloring for a soda drink.
“It’s a white chocolate-watermelon Italian cream soda. You want one?”
I couldn’t hide the skepticism from my face. I wasn’t too sure about that one. I gave her a raised eyebrow.
“You can’t knock it until you try it! Here, try mine before you rule it out altogether,” she offered, lifting the glass and handing it to me as I sat in the chair next to her.
“Okay,” I said as I took a sip from the side, holding the straw to one side so that it didn’t spear me in the face.
“Hmm, not bad,” I admitted. “Once again, you know more about what I like better than I do, it seems. And to think I never would have tried this on my own.”
“Should I go grab you one?” she offered.
“No, of course not!” I feigned offense. “But I’ll get you another one while I run up there to order mine. I’ll be right back. Would you like anything else?”
“No, nothing else, thank you,” she smiled.
I went to the counter to order two cream sodas and when I returned, I took my seat next to Zia again. The band finished setting up and started playing their first song, a cover of Goodnight Moon by Go Radio.
“The singer is amazing. Have you heard them before?” Zia asked me as she began scanning the room.
“No, I haven’t, but you’re right. It’s great music so far,” I agreed.
“Are you ready to get started on your lesson for tonight?” she questioned with a challenging look.
“Okay, sure. Bring it on, babe,” I accepted.
“Do you know why I picked this place tonight?” Zia asked, looking back at me.
I looked around for a moment, taking in the tranquil crowd, the laid back setting, the mood of the music. Then I looked back at Zia before answering, “Well, there’s no one here with their dignity hanging out. Does that have anything to do with it?”
She laughed. “That’s part of it. What else?”
“It’s definitely not the bar scene,” I continued. “No one here is even drinking,” I observed. Of course, we were at a coffee shop, not a bar.
“Keep going,” she coaxed, as if to see what else I might have learned so far.
I thought for a while, but I wasn’t sure what answer she was loo
king for. Finally I said, “I give up. Why this place? It’s cool, don’t get me wrong. I like it. I wouldn’t mind coming back here… but I couldn’t see myself coming here to find a date.”
“Exactly,” she affirmed. “Most of these people are here because they want to hear the music, and maybe enjoy each other’s company. It’s a way of looking for people who have an interest in something.” Then she added, “Plus, you’ll notice that the music isn’t so loud that we can’t hear each other talking. It’s a good place to carry on a conversation with someone.”
I nodded, taking in what she said. She had a point.
“So, with that in mind, let’s find you a potential new friend.” Zia looked around for a moment, considering the options.
Finally, she pointed out a girl sitting by herself at a table near the stage area. “See the girl in the scarf, over by the window? Does she look like someone you might like to get to know?”
The girl was facing the platform the band was playing on, so I only had a view of her profile. “Okay, sure. Do I just go up and talk to her?” I observed her as she sat, swaying to the music. “She looks like she’s really into the band. I don’t know if I should interrupt.”
Zia thought for a second, then instructed, “Right now, go order a slice of pumpkin bread with two forks. Then when this song is over, use the time you have before they start the next song to ask her if she’ll share it with you.”
I stood slowly, gave Zia a wish-me-luck expression, and walked back over to the counter to order as directed. Then with pumpkin bread in hand, I made my way to the table as the current song, a cover of Forever by Ben Harper, slowly came to an end.
“You look like you could use some company. Would it be okay if I joined you?” I asked the girl in the scarf as I signaled to the empty chair in front of her.
