Blueprint For Love: Carre Noir

The crescent moon hung low in the west under scattered low racing clouds, the stars twinkled wildly in the gusty wind, and the night sailed on with more to be enjoyed. I had walked about a mile that night, my feet wiggled at each step, but I was determined to reach home before the streets attained unsafe status. It was not rocket science. I knew these Arab streets had nothing good to offer during the late hours of the night. My phone rang again; fourth time that night. This time the caller ID read, 'Unknown'. I was almost sure that it was a mistake traveling all those miles to see her. I answered. It was Jennifer. "Alfred, thank God!" She sounded relieved upon hearing my voice. “Where on earth are you?” I ended the call and savored the frustration in her voice. At this point, my feigned hatred for Jennifer was almost climatic. When I finally reached my apartment and pulled out my phone, I savored Jennifer's ten missed calls and finally turned the phone off. I loved having that much power. It was diabolical and inhumane but I was never the forgiving type and sentiments like compassion had no place in my heart. It failed at mixing well with my emotions.

Le Cafe Noir stood in a left corner, a couple of meters away from the first roundabout about a quarter  of a mile from the train station. It was home to some of the caffeine addicts in the neighborhood and housed the usual late night soirees. I swung the heavy doors open and took a seat. It was near half full with average smokers who appeared like they were discussing pertinent issues. It was fairly quiet and the apparent European ambiance was rewarding as the entire street was right before my eyes. As usual, I placed an order for a hot cafe au lait. In the minutes before the coffee arrived, my mind had somewhat placed an image to the many words I had received from my editor. She sounded displeased and indicated clearly that my words were somewhat archaic. By the time the coffee arrived, I had settled on not looking up each of the words she had sent. The touch of the first sip on my tongue felt exhilarating. My craving had finally met instant satisfaction and I breathed slowly as the vapor dissolved into the warm air. The streets were slowly easing into a chaotic zone as the time slipped by. I began to write the opening scene for the play, but my thoughts were discombobulated and the noise from the cars and music shops which surrounded the cafe unnerved me. I needed serenity and there was only one place I could find it at this time of the day. I closed my notepad, left the money on the table with a tip and marched outside. The dry September air felt liberating and I was relieved that for the first time in many months, I had a drama free day. "...Who said lying did not have benefits." I thought to myself and walked on.