Coffee Musing | Reunion at a Cafe

"Coffee is a ritual that unites people."

Charles Bukowski

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Hello there, coffee-and-beverages lovers!

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It had been around 5 years since the last time I saw my friend Eurys. Among other things, we are the kind of friends that are very sincere to each other. That's the basis of our friendship. No cloak and dagger shenanigans. Everything goes without a filter. That is lovely. It isn't for everyone, though.

We met in college. She is also an English teacher, but she has made a living out of that. Not like me trying to avoid it as much as possible. Something that was very successful until now. Anyways, she was part of a group of really cool people who were all in the last semesters of the career when I met them. And I liked these people so much I gave each one of them a present after they got their title. Hers was a book with stories by Brian Aldiss. In the book, there was one particular one about artificial intelligence that was later made into a movie. I think it has that same title.

Some other things have kept us in contact. I was her helper during the pandemic with grading some of her students work. It was a nice side job that I was doing when I got back into Hive. The last time she came to Cumana, we didn't have too much time together. She had come for a wedding. And those were my busy years. Regardless, since I was making the trip for a whole weekend to Caracas, I had to get the chance to see her. Mostly because she's in the range of people who I like.

For her recommendation, we met at one of the Paramo Cafe shops that is located in Chacao near the San Ignacio Mall. We met near the mall and then went over there to talk and have coffee.

It is amazing how over the year one gets into this setting that having a coffee with a friend is one of the best things possible. Yes, I love coffee. This brew plays a big role in Latin life. We drink it since we are children. Not all of us love it, but the ones who do have some interesting story about it being part of their upbringing. Coffee time in our side of the Atlantic is like Tea Time for the British.

While in the cafe, Eurys treated me with something to eat and a cappuccino. She had a red velvet cookie and the same kind of coffee. I took the time to photograph everything before we started sipping and eating. This gave us time to start catching up on the thing that have happened since we haven't seen each other. The list was long. I learned about how she found her calling in teaching, how she is learning to play the Venezuelan Cuatro (she was one of the first clients of my workshop), how her dad was diagnosed with cancer and pulled through, her love life, and some general things about her life in Caracas. She has become an expert copilot when traveling on motorcycles. And that's a necessary skill in a city with heavy traffic.

While we were at it, the sips of coffee gave the listener something to take in all the information given by the speaker. Of course, I told her a lot about my plans for the future. There's maybe a hint of moving to the city. That requires a lot of effort, but it is feasible. And during our lengthy conversation, I couldn't help reminiscing about the times we had had this kind of deep interaction. I once invited her to a ramen night hosted by some friends. Everyone there thought she was my girlfriend. And that was something we laughed about for quite some time. Especially, since she was my college-best-friend's girlfriend.

We did some more after having our coffee. Going to the mall to find a bathroom, we took into watching things at stores. That until her sister arrived. And in the end she took this selfie to remember that day.

What else can one ask of life during a trip, but to get to interact with a friend, have good coffee and longing to repeat all over again? When we went on our separate ways, she told me she sees me going back to Caracas this year. And I hope that happens. And of course, this time, the coffee and treats will be on me.