Wednesday, July 22, 2020

I order the root vegetable and grilled salmon salad at the cafe on the square. As I go to sit down, I’m called back to the counter. They’re out of salmon. I’m not surprised. All the restaurants were supposed to shut down after the weekend. They were working through their stock so they wouldn’t have leftover food going to waste. At the last minute, they were told that they could stay open, with restrictions. No more than thirty customers may sit in their outside area. I don’t think it seats that many anyway. They ask what I would like instead of the salmon. Haloumi? Bulgarian cheese? Tuna? I choose the haloumi. And what type of bread? Multigrain. I sit down and take a book out of my bag to read. They call my name a few minutes later. I go to the counter and retrieve my salad. The cheese is good. The weather on the patio, now that it has cooled down after sunset, is perfect. A light breeze drifts past me. I’m not sure if it’s natural or from the large humming machine near the wall. I’m not complaining. Once I’m done with the salad, I sit back with my book and my coffee granita. If this were an American cafe with its comfortable seating, I would stay for hours. Here, the metal chair eventually starts to dig into my back and legs. I find a good stopping point in the book, put my mask back on, and wander home.