Friday February 11th
Today is the day we have decided to take ourselves out to lunch, down to the biker bar to sit outdoors in the warm sunshine and eat whatever they are offering. Masked and hungry for a new adventure, we were told by Sophia the very chatty waitress, to sit anywhere we liked as she handed us menus, wine lists, and brought water. Another couple and their dog sat nearby, but not too close, as we gently removed our masks. The woman of the couple raised her glass to us as our wine arrived, ‘thank god someone else drinks at lunch’ she shouted across the outdoor patio. Her husband looked down at their enormous dog at his feet and shushed him, clearly embarrassed by his wife’s exuberance. He didn’t need to worry, we met her laughter with ours, raised glasses, found out her life history in three minutes and went back to ordering lunch. Sanity had returned. I ordered a plate of truffle French fries that had nothing to do with anything we were eating except that I have not had decent French fries since Covid started, I could have eaten just one huge platter for lunch but stopped myself. I had to save room for their incredibly good flourless chocolate cake and ordered a salad to in between.
The sun warmed the day, the rest of the diners left, and we had the patio to ourselves. We sat for the next hours and ate the food that someone else had bought, cleaned chopped, and cooked. It was divine. We drank ordinary wine which tasted as though it came from the Gods, we were after all in heaven.
