About destiny and... other culinary fiction? 😉

It was quite strange. However, there are some things that one shouldn't worry too much about or give them too much thought, they just happen, period.

{I am surprised they brought this coffee so quickly. I'm glad because I have things to tell you, and with a coffee like this, we will enjoy the conversation}

It turns out that yesterday I received some pleasant news, something that kept me biting my nails for three or four days, and I think I also had a bit of back pain... stress and worry always come out in the form of some ailment. That's for sure. Well, yes, that nice not, but spectacular news had to be celebrated, and I wanted to do something different, a night walk with a friend with whom I have had this debt (of wandering) for some time.

I dialed her number and she answered instantly. We agreed, not very easily, I admit, because the places we like, where we usually go out together, were closed or had stopped working forever.

Finally we decided to go to a Mexican restaurant, which I don't know if it really exists. Anyway... there she was waiting for me at the door, with a big hat, and this hat had a power.

I really like hanging out with my friend, she is very giggly, and we have a certain complicity. We were catching up on many things, I even told her about this thing that had me without nails. She told me long nails are not good for her. We laughed. Even in this we were alike.

It was also funny that everything there was spicy. The drinks, no matter if it was a Mojito or a fancy cocktail, always had that chili inside, as if it landed in them by magic. I was struck by the green fruit in her drink and she didn't want to give it to me. We looked like two little girls, giggling and making jokes about everything we remembered from our previous outings.

But it was time to get serious. My friend had some personal issues that were giving her a lot of trouble. Things that over time were accumulating and she kept letting them go, always the same things, always the same annoyances with her partner, with whom she has been with for some years now.

I don't know if I dreamed it, I don't even know if I told her at the end. Somewhere I must have written that relationships are like putting the palm of your hand open for a bird to land on. However, if by chance you wanted to grab him and you succeed, you will suffocate him. If it happens that he manages to fly away, he won't come back to perch on your hand with the confidence he did the first time. It may never come back. This applies, of course, to both partners in the relationship.

-Don't put your hat on yet, she told me. We were enjoying our drinks, while we were having this animated conversation, or the bird or whatnot... I was already getting a little heat up my neck. I'm sure it was the spice.

We heard music and they told us there was a disco and a bar, that we could go there if we wanted to. Lucky for us, it wasn't reggaeton. I told her my neighbors across the street were having a blast, partying, with memorable reggaeton songs... this made us laugh so hard. We couldn't stop laughing. We thought about eating something there, but we had our doubts because of the spicy food.

-I would like to be a chef for a day, I said.

-Who would you invite to dinner and what would you cook for the occasion?, she asked.

Sometimes you have desires or fantasies that you can't describe in detail. I realized this instantly, as soon as she asked this to me. I kept thinking... and I wanted to invite some people, yes. But I couldn't make up my mind.

-Let's go to the disco, she said, and pointed to the hat. There you put it on, and with a mischievous look, and a funny shake of her head, I understood that we were back to the non-serious part of our outing.

Los Compadres (4).jpg

Oh, there were so many lights. Projections on the walls, a blue that was coming through every pore of my body. And the music was great... were we supposed to be at something Mexico related? Well, the DJ was a Morcheeba and Portishead fan.

I felt the hat slide on my head...

I don't know, I don't know. I really don't know why I'm here now. But at the moment I was somewhere that wasn't exactly home. The room was really nice. I went over it with my hands, looked carefully at the warmth and the light coming through the window. I looked around. There was someone in the bathroom. She was humming that Portishead song. Oh, how I love that song, God. For some reason a memory came to my mind... a little spicy 😅. A blue night, the moon, sheets and pillows in a mess. But this bed was untouched.

I looked everywhere for the hat. I didn't see it. It just wasn't there, that damn hat. And I was really nervous. The phone rang. I ran over, tripped over the minibar.

I saw the lockbox... why would there be a lockbox there? Anyway, I only had my two rings and a little silver chain, one of the rings is on my thumb and the other is on that little chain, it's a dragonfly that I intend to give to my true love. Who was in the bathroom?

Riiiing, riiiiiiiiing... the phone. I picked it up.

-Yes?

-Come Chef, we've already plated all the food and all that's left is for the girl to order it to be taken to the room. You really have done a good job.

The voice on the other side sounded honeyed, it was another girl, who could it be... redhead? No idea.

(I didn't speak)

I hung up without making much noise. The girl in the bathroom was still singing, but the sound of the falling water stopped. 😱

I went to the door slithering like a snake, I tried to make as little noise as possible. From the bathroom, I heard a voice:

-Nani?

Oh, she knows my name. I shot out and went down the stairs like lightning. When I reached the stairway landing, some people greeted me very politely and told me that the drink I wanted when I finished was waiting for me. I was told to take my time, that the immersive experience was sometimes a bit too much for the customers and they tended to lose their way and even lose track of time.

I realized then that I was a client... what the hell, what experience? I'm shy, can't you see that? Well... and now Chef. Crazy.

I drank. I let the frappé drink refresh me a little, as I was starting to feel my mouth dry, my throat, everything... it felt like I was in a desert without water. Drops of sweat on my forehead, my hands also sweaty....

I heard inside a bit of agitation. I think the girl had already ordered the dishes. She was ready.

-Chef, the lady is waiting. Come see your creation, said the redhead (Oh, she was a redhead, really).

Grilled lobster with a green sauce, arugula and something crunchy that even I couldn't figure out what it was. It looked delicious... And I cooked this, the question echoed loudly inside my head.

A plump as a bottle of cider employee came up behind the redhead with nice, almost regal movements and showed me the next course.

I smelled the fish. It felt tender, with an aroma of white wine and some other spice that I could not distinguish. Oh, yes, it was that combination of dill, thyme and parsley. It made my mouth water.

-Well? You don't delay, remember that the dame is waiting for you upstairs. You'll love this, said a young man who peeked with some parsimony at the door.

😐

I waited for the order to be delivered. I had to give myself time to think...

I had many questions and very few answers. I didn't want to look foolish, so I had to improvise.

With impetus I called the young man and asked him:

-Hey, dessert, I didn't see the dessert I prepared.

In truth, I was pretending, because in fact I had no idea that I had prepared anything like that. The only thing I could think of was that it was that hat that was responsible for everything. Evidently there was a gap in the trip that crazy hat had in store for me. The cooking part was like a snowy, barren landscape. I didn't get to experience it to the fullest.

-You're right, he said. I'll show it to you, but we must put it in the fridge as you yourself ordered, for it can be ruined if it melts. It will only be delivered at the right time. We are following your instructions.