Discussing Kikkik

Steve and Rebecca had a date for tonight: supper at the local Mediterranean Restaurant. A coupon special: the cost was two for the price of one, plus a tip on the retail cost of the meal. Four hours after it was too late to cancel their booking, Steve came down with a high fever and chills. His question to us when we came home, "How was your evening out?" had embedded in it, "Just what did I miss by being sick tonight?"

Our transportation was the double-decker bus #123. Slowly I am learning the bus routes that will get me around Finchly, this route taking the left, instead of the right fork at the corner of the Tally Ho pub and then letting us off at the East Finchly Tube stop. “I am still finding the names of the streets quaint,” said Rebecca. “I wonder how long I will have to live here before the charm of that wears off.”

The linens were white, and the flowers on the table were sweet smelling fresh pink carnations. The restaurant was decorated in Persian style. The tapestry on the benches and chairs matched. I am going out too often. I noticed that. We were the only ones there at 7 pm in the 14 table dining room. “This is a bit early for supper for the British,” apologized Rebecca. “For the Spanish as well,” I thought. We spent five minutes rehearsing the events of the day at home, and then we turned to another channel in our minds, talking about the paper Rebecca hopes to have finished before the weekend. She had done two and a half pages of single spaced work on it during the day.

We spent the three hours over the meal thinking about the abstract concept of justice. She told me about two law cases that she teaches in her Criminal Law Class and a movie/documentary about the case made famous by Farley Mowat about the Inuit woman, Kikkik.

How many other essays have their structures laid out on napkins at restaurants? That is a good question for a thesis.  When the meal was over she said, "We came for a rest and have spent the whole time working."

Our launch for the bus ride home was right outside of a Tesco. When all of the groceries for five are brought home directly from the store in our arms and not via a car, then it only seems right to stop in and buy whatever I can help carry. Rebecca and I lingered on the World Foods grocery isle for a while. She was looking for mango puree. Then she was wondering what the pickled walnuts would taste like. We bought some ginger beer for Steve, since Ginger-ale wasn't on the shelves. Finally we got busy on the candy isle, in honour of Wyona and Moiya, only choosing products that were half price.

A lovely evening for me -- not so good for Steve, since Rebecca took a chance and booked a restaurant a few days ago.

Arta