Last week, as I mentioned in Night Activities, I was taken out to dinner by a couple friend of mine, Cynthia and Michael. They treated to a buffet restaurant, and they introduced me to sushi, which actually isn't that bad. The fish was great, and the rice wrap, excellent.
As we left the restaurant, I asked them if they were open to go to a hookah bar. When I explained what it was, Michael was ready to go, but Cynthia was a little unsure because of what it was exactly we were going to do. After trying to persuade her to go (and pushing a free movie into the mix), we pushed it to next week, which is now.
The day after they treated to dinner, we hung out again. We walked around their neighborhood, elegantly smoking our electronic cigarettes in the cold February night. At one point, I asked about our mutual friend Alyssa, and I ended up asking her what she was doing. After a phone call, she came out and met us, driving up in her fiancée's Toyota Corolla.
While we huddled next to her Corolla, the four of us agreed to go to a park that we had stopped by the day before after I showed them where Mr. Ward lived.
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| The long-exposure photo I took that night. |
We drove up into the empty parking lot and walked towards a lighted pavilion. After taking a few long-exposure photographs, I invited Alyssa to our little outing. She agreed, and it was all set for Saturday night.
Fast forward to yesterday.
It began drizzling at 5 PM, and by 6, everything was wet. I was worried whether the plan would go on as scheduled, but by the time we were ready to go, the rain had stopped and away we went. Figuring that going late would be better (everything that's good is even better at night), we stopped again at the park from last week where we took photos. We stayed there for about 25 minutes, before Alyssa began to complain about seating.
We left the park at 8.45, and arrived at the lounge around 9.00 in nearby Pantego.
I assured everyone that I had never been carded (asked for I.D.), so they had nothing to worry about. We got out of Michael's car and headed inside to find the dimly-lit lounge packed with people. A group of people had just been seated, so we stood in the doorway for a few minutes before we asked a waitress whether it would be OK to sit outside. She said "yes" and we went outside.
We chose a large table, but noticed that the tabletop was wet and the chairs soaked. Before we were served, the waitress asked to see our I.D.s
I began to panic because I know Cynthia didn't have her I.D. with her. I had told them in advance that they didn't card, so we were fucked.
Michael, Alyssa, and I produced our I.D.s but Cynthia didn't have one on her.
Michael tried to bargain with the waitress, but she explained that the lounge had been raided a few times for the police and that they if they found anyone underage, they could fine her, the owners, and the minor would get a ticket. Although Cynthia is legally an adult, we had no way to prove it without going back home.
After a little thought, the waitress suggested we try a restaurant down the street.
We walked back to the car and drove down the block to a Lebanese restaurant that also served hookah. At this point, Cynthia was visibly upset, so Alyssa and I volunteered to scout the location before anything else.
We walked up to the restaurant and were met by a very peppy waitress. She led outside and we sat in a corner table, under an outdoor propane heater. Alyssa flat-out asked the waitress whether the restaurant carded and if it had been raided. She replied "yes", that they do card, but that they hadn't been raided. Alyssa and I approved, and we called Mike and Cynthia over.
When the two sat down, the waitress explained the flavours and the combinations, and after a little bit of delibrating, we chose Absolute Zero (a minty base) with Lemon.
Possibly the best combination I have ever tasted.
When the waitress asked if anyone wanted something to eat, Alyssa offered to pay for my meal, which was like hers: a gyro with a side of fries. Cynthia and Michael got the same thing, and while we waited for our meal, we had a blast.
We inhaled our tobacco mix deeply, producing thick white clouds that some of us inhaled and exhaled again.
After twenty minutes or so, we received our gyros. Those things were delicious. Seriously. I had never had them before but damn, they were the best tasting thing I've ever tasted. Fucking excellent. The tzatziki sauce and meat just blended together so perfectly. And the fries were just as good. Not greasy, not salty, but just right. We went for the hookah, but stayed for the food.
We enjoyed our hookah so much that it was sad we had to go.
As we left, maybe 11.00 PM, we actually started taking fast hits just so we wouldn't have to be without it.
I have a feeling it's the beginning of an addiction (I know what I'm talking about), but I'm not worrying just yet.
By the way, we tipped our waitress like $6.50. That might sound like a lot, but she was always asking us if we needed anything else and was very attentive. May she have hundreds of tips.
The night was fantastic.
I just wonder when I'll go back again.
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Coming soon intro...
Yes, I'll have a water, and no, I don't have one.
Coming soon to the ESF
