Tuesday, February 9th, 2021

I haven’t sat at this stone table before. Most of the tables have chess boards built into the stone. This has a backgammon board. The Friday players don't gather here. They bring their own board and set it up on a chess table. I suspect that they chose the table nearest to the shop where they get their beer. I’m at the far end of the city square, near the cafe. I’m ordering from them again. I don’t plan to make a habit of getting dinner here too often. That could get expensive. I want to see if ordering the second time is easier. My phone or their server remembers the needed information. I order a grilled salmon sandwich. This time, I get the soda at the other shop on the way to the cafe. I stash it in my hoodie’s right pocket. I get to the cafe after my order has reached it. The worker at the front window sees me approach. “App?” Yes. “Yosef?” Yes. “Just a few minutes.” I shift to the side and wait. To my left, other customers order coffees to go from the cashier. To my right, a young girl repeatedly crashes her tricycle into the wall, laughing. A dog in the distance barks every few seconds. The sound bounces off of several buildings. They refract and filter it. A lower bark reaches me a few milliseconds before one a perfect fourth higher. My sandwich is done quickly. I go to the nearest table, the one with the backgammon inlay, and eat the sandwich. It is warm and delicious. Yesterday’s cat isn’t around. I suspect that it would be much more interested tonight.