Chance encounters

Last night, on the way home from dinner with my uncle, I ran into Gigi and Maki and their friend Masayo. I hadn't seen them in months; during the summer we were all busy or travelling, and then I was gone the month of September. I had just emerged from the Spring Street 6 station when I heard a voice asking if I were Eugene. I looked across the street and there they were.

We went to Epistrophy, a bar on Mott just off of Spring. The playlist was sprinkled with Thelonious Monk tunes. As the wee hours of the night approached, the music gave over to Monk completely. Maki had wanted to come to visit a friend who was working the bar. A book party had taken over the front of the room, and he seated us on a stage in the back.

He brought us wine to taste, and we made our way through wines from various regions of Spain before heading north to France. Maki decided on a wine from Scicily, and he brought us a bottle, bouncing back and forth between our table and his duties at the bar. His art hung on the walls, and Gigi was excited to finally see his work.

We drank and caught up with each other's lives. Gigi mentioned a party at Teru's this weekend, and Maki asked our opinion on a shoot she was doing this weekend. At some point, we started drawing each other on a stained napkin. Masayo said her face was easy. Just an egg with shh shh for eyes. And a big forehead. Maki drew a character and then gave her a flower growing out of the top of her head. Masayo said she was referring to a Japanese cartoon character, Ramenman. Masayo drew the best portraits, but made Maki look evil in retaliation.

As the book party came to an end, the owners started placing chairs on the tables. We gathered our things together and began to leave. Paco said we had to finish the wine, but we had all had enough or too much. We said goodbyes to the bar and wandered into the street.

On the corner we parted ways with promises to see each other soon. I went west down Spring towards home, and Masayo went north. Gigi and Maki thought about continuing their conversation at another bar. For just another hour. Posted by eku at October 18, 2005 9:15 AM