India

He was acting very juvenile for being a man in a suit though his five o'clock shadow was adding him a couple of more years. He liked that about himself though. It was breaking the stiffness of his suit and giving the impression that he was wearing it because he had to and not because he wanted to.

He spent just as long time as us women every night preparing for the next day. He dreaded ironing his shirts and trousers and always tried to postpone it as much as possible that by the time he was done, it was past midnight. The last minute shoe polish sessions in the morning always made him miss his buss and he always left the apartment wondering if he had forgotten something while the after taste of his toothpaste always left his mouth dry.

"Coffee", he thought.

He was standing at the end of the line at the coffee shop, thinking of where he wanted to spend his next holiday. It didn't really matter where it was, or who it was with. He needed a break. He was sick of the same expressionless faces he saw everyday.

It was at that moment he noticed the book in her hand "Lonely Planet, India". She was standing right in front of him, trying to find her wallet and practically emptying her bag for it.
"India", he thought, maybe a little loud enough to be met by her questiongly look. "Oh", he said. "Are you going to India?".
"Yes", she said." A friend of mine is getting married there and I thought I'd explore the other cities while I was there". She was surprised at how much she had said within 20 seconds.
"Never been on my priority list" he said quite happy with himself. "Aren'there cows and goats running around the streets with monkeys sitting on top of your head?".
"I guess you see what you want to see", she said. "What about the party city Goa or Taj Mahal, the greatest declaration of love ever?".
"Yeah yeah, he said with a sarcastic smile on his face. " You girls always look on the romantic side of things. Us guys, we're more rational, you know."
"Don't I", she said and rolled her eyes.

"One Caffe latte to go!" someone shouted.
"That's mine" she said and grabbed her coffee then turned and looked at the guy, "Well, have a nice summer then".
"Thank you, you too!"

[From the counter,"]Yes sir?"
"An Americano please" he replied. He grabbed a couple of coffee beans by the counter and started to play with them while he was looking out the window towards the street...at the faces, they had no expressions.

E.Y