He was lonely sitting in a bar. It was his favorite bar. Live, gently jazz music had been heard, but didn’t disturb. Trying to pick known sounds up, he was thinking about modern pop music. In most cases it invades in one’s mind and makes nervous.
He was sipping his favorite brandy.
Loneliness, favorite bar, music and brandy. And that inner peace that he had worked at since he remembered. Nothing was important except of that moment. He felt like in paradise. Only one think shattered that feeling. Cold, dump and hopeless weather outside. At the very thought of going there he was shivering. He loved heat and dreamed about some tropical places though he never was in any.
And then, when he was sitting, unexpectedly, no asking, she sat at his table. She looked younger than him, but not much, maybe five years. She wasn’t pretty, rather good-looking. And had some kind of spark in her eyes. In the first reflex he wanted to dismiss her or move to another table himself (it was his favorite table), but something was stopped him. He didn’t know what was it. Maybe instinct, intuition?
She put her glass on the table (with his favorite brandy!) and looked deeply into his eyes. Her look was determined and assertive, but welcoming and friendly. Firmly not uncomfortable.
“You’ll travel with me!” – she said. It was not a question, but affirmative sentence. She said it casually, just like “I’m sitting here and sipping brandy with a stranger”.
To his own astonishment he didn’t disapprove. He even didn’t ask where she wanted to travel. Instead of it he said as casually and natural as she did: “it has to be heat”.
She smiled a little bit. It was not a kind of tricky smile, but welcoming. “It will be”, said with emphasis.
“Then what are we waiting for?”
They stood up and left the bar. He left everything he had. His comfortable job, small, rented flat in attic, old-fashioned suit and permanently conflicted neighbors. He had no idea what and with whom he’d done it. Where she was going to go. Just took his slim savings and went with her.
It has to be heat.
