Today was one of those end of summer but not quite yet fall days which are so sublime. The sky is extra blue, the air starting to develop a crispness but there is no chill. Just some of the finest weather this side of the Mississippi.
I ventured to Lafayette for a pastry. Lafayette is a new French bistro by the acclaimed Andrew Carmellini on -- Lafayette Street. A couple of things about the place: it's quite large and airy; it's quite blue, as in there are checkered blue floors and the waiters wear blue shirts; finally, there are many very attractive African American or perhaps just African women who are part of the hostess staff. I might add that, naturally, all of these attractive women were quite taken by me.
Now, on to the pastries. They had croissants, eclairs, macaroons, etc. I got myself an apple almond tart. It was enjoyable enough. I also had a house-prepared orange juice made of oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit, pink grapefruit and hibiscus. The tab for these two things came to an astounding $14. I feel like an idiot as I type that. Or rather, I felt like an idiot as I typed it.
As I sat to consume my $14 cake and orange juice, one of the hostesses -- one of the African ones -- smiled at me and complimented my oxford shirt. "I like your oxford shirt," she said. I smiled back and complimented her black dress and skin tone. "I like your black dress and your black skin," I said. Her heart beat palpably faster, and I knew I was in the early stages of a love affair.
The End.
