lil reminders

i was on my way to buy meat. That's all I wanted for dinner, for some reason. But the Greek restaurant down the street had their lights on (at 11:30 pm) and so I walked in and asked them if they were open. There were about 5 men hanging out in the kitchen, and No, they were closed, but did I want a sandwich? Francois, the man I was talking to, ordered the hairdresser (Salvo) behind the counter to make me a tuna sandwich, on the house (one word for the sandwich: amazing.). We talked and laughed and they got me a beer, said they were having a private party but it was kind of awkward because the party wasn't being friendly.

When my food came, every one moved to the table so I could sit and eat and not be alone. George, the mainlander that everyone obviously respected, cleared my plate and got me cheesecake. When I was finished with my dessert and my beer, he told Salvo to get me wine. Francois introduced me to everyone, and at one point when talking about life he pointed to me. This woman, he said, will be successful in whatever she chooses to do. I can't describe how much I needed someone to have faith in me today. And it was the random owner of the restaurant down the street; which made it that much better.

After a while it seemed that everyone moved inside and sat with us at one point or another. They were great, fun, gregarious guys who, other than occasionally hitting on me, treated me like one of the guys. They were from around the world, and some still had really thick accents, so I think I missed a lot. But what I caught was priceless.

Francois told a story of a man who was working on his house who wouldn't stop complaining about everything, but especially his wife's cooking. The man, apparently, had eaten nothing but bread for 20 years while living in a small village in Italy and was the skinniest, most bug-eyed man you'd ever seen, but was constantly unsatisfied with what they fed him once he moved to the US. Francois' wife cooked pasta for him every day but he always complained. So, Francois took over. He made penne with onions and basil and tomato sauce, and took a can of cat food from the kitchen and mixed it in (he cut the taste with lemon, in case you're considering trying this). He put Parmesan and fresh basil on top and served the Inherently Unsatisfied guy--and the guy ate so fast he didn't stop to catch his breath. Now THIS is pasta! the man proclaimed when he was done. Francois laughed and laughed and told the guy what he did. After that, the guy stopped complaining so much.

But, his restaurant is great and he'd never do that to a customer.

All of them wanted me to date Salvo, that was apparent. He was cute, but I'm over the whole idea of meeting someone and dating them right away. I want to know them first, make sure we fit at least a little bit. Salvo pulled me aside at one point and asked if I was okay, if I was having a good time. I told him that I was having a great time. I loved the company. They're great, he agreed. Very friendly. But you have no idea who you're sitting with, do you? Nope, all I know is that they're fun. These men, he said in his thick Greek accent, are the center of Honolulu business. Each of them is a multi-millionaire. When they talk about spending $2,000/night or leaving $18,000 for play money--they're not exaggerating. But, they will do anything for you. Place to live, job, money... they'll do anything.

Apparently, I was with some high rollers. But they seemed like the sort of men I'd like to hang out with on a regular basis. They're fun and intelligent and down to earth. With a crass sense of humor, which always gets me. I liked them a lot.

It was food for my soul. I miss those random encounters so much. I think I haven't been listening as much to what God is saying about daily life, and that's why I've been missing moments like this--whereas I used to have them all of the time.

This morning, I tried to force myself to do what I thought I should do, even though I really really really really didn't want to. And it all went wrong. The second half of the day was much better. My roomie helped a lot, too. Thanks Roomie. Sometimes I'm surprised how well you know me. I think being with you helped changed my attitude around enough that I'd be receptive to tonight's random encounter.

Life brings good things when you pay attention.

Sleepy. bed.