Fragment #30 - Night out in Seville

I’m surprised to realize that this is just a bar that mostly looks like a Glaswigian bar, even a Parisian bar. Maybe differences show best in small cities, villages. I remember when I went to the Loch Ness and had a drink in a wee old traditional pub. This was something. Even the beer tasted differently, stronger maybe. But yeah I’m starting to see that big European cities can be in some way very similar. Macdonals actually gives a pretty familiar face to any place. I like to imagine that maybe one day men would live on the Moon, or Mars, and they will have Macdonalds as well.
Though this place, the Budha, got something special, maybe this cheerful atmosphere one can find in Seville. And it’s a very unusual sensation for me to go out at 10 pm and not being cold at all.

I focus on my glass. I notice that it’s empty. I tell Alison and Kierran that I’m going to the bar to get another drink, and ask if they want anything. It’s just the three of us, the other teachers stayed at the hotel to check on the pupils. And I had the idea we could come back to the commercial center next to the bus station, as I’ve noticed this nice club in there. I stand up and head to the bar. I’m going to ask for a mojito, and then think that I may know the man next to me. How weird is this, how would I know anyone in there…?
“Hola, ¿te acuerdas de mi?... El otro dia en la estacion de autobuses... »
And I remember this handsome man now, the one from the bus station!
“Hey. Si me recuerda. ¿Como estas? »
"Bien, me llamo Mario". And then, out of nowhere, he kisses me on the cheek. And I remember this is something we do in France as well, kissing people we don’t know, whereas this would be inappropriate in the UK.
“Yo me llamo Amélie” I answer, trying not too show my surprise.
“De donde eres?” Well he is asking me where am I from… When I’m abroad, what can I explain? Am I Glaswigian or French? This doesn’t have an easy answer…
“Es complicado... Vivo en Escocia, en Glasgow, pero soy frances. Eres de Sevilla?"
"Sí, soy de Sevilla: y que haces por aqui?"
"Es un viaje, con alumnos. estoy con los otros profesores, necesitaba un descanso..."
"¡Ah! ¿Eres profesora? Siempre me ha gustado la enseñanza..."
"Que bueno, ¿quieres ser profesor?
"Sí... Estudiaba Física en la universidad... Pero lo dejé."
"Porqué?"
"Bueno... tenía problemas familiares y me fui de casa... Tuve que buscar trabajo para pagarme una casa."
Too bad, I’m starting to ask personal and inappropriate questions. This man I don’t know don’t have to tell me he has family problems and stuff, we don’t know each other…
“¡Oh, sorry! No debí preguntar.”
“No importa.”
Let’s switch to another subject…
“¿Vienes a menudo a este bar?” I ask
“No mucho... no suelo salir por las noches, pero hoy estaba agobiado en casa y he venido con la novia.”
What the hell is a novia? His niece?
“¿Tu novia?”
“Sí... mi novia, está en el baño. »
“Sorry, what??”
“Mi novia...” He seems to try and remember something “My girlfriend.”
Great so "novia" means girlfriend. And then… I feel disappointed. I always feel disappointed when an attractive guy talks about his girlfriend. And what’s worse, is that it actually happens quite often.
“Ok... Buenas gracias, no conoce la palabra novia . ¿Hables ingles?”
"Algo... Inglés de cursillos”
“Soy segura tu ingles puede ser mejor que mi espanol... Enseno el frances, y el espanol es bastante dificult para mi. »
He laughs. And then tells me:
“Yo doy clases de francés a un vecino... Pero sé muy poco. »
And then it’s my turn to laugh. Something is happening, somehow we are not perfect stangers to each other anymore.
"¿Qué tomas? Te invito..."
“Un mojito...”
“Pues yo un whisky escocés... ¡En tu honor!"
The barman serves the two drinks, that we lift at the same time. My new friend Mario says: "¿Chin-chin?”
"Cheers" I answer
And then he tells me he must go… The girlfriend coming out of the bathroom I guess, at last.
“Bueno, me tengo que ir... Un placer, Amelie y que disfrutes de Sevilla.
"Encantada también."
And there he goes, it just left me time to say something something like it was nice meeting him. It actually was…