More Monastir business-
Later, from the bar.
Good Heavens. I had forgotten about all this sort of stuff. I just had dinner, sitting quietly in my corner, hoping to get away before the Belgian widower arrived- nothing wrong with him, but I am not in a sociable mood.
A new waiter comes up to the table, taking orders for drinks. I order half a bottle of local red wine. As he opens the bottle, he smiles greasily and remarks that he hasn’t seen me before. ‘No, I have only had dinner here once before, I reply. ‘Ah!’ that was my day off, he informs me. ‘Oh, I see’. I open my book without glancing at him or giving any come-on signs whatsoever. Then he hovers around for a bit before blurting out: ‘ do you have a boyfriend here?’ I say that is hardly any of his business. But he persists: if I would like a boyfriend, he would be available after service. I take a deep breath then snap haughtily: ‘ do what you are here for: pour me the wine and then leave me alone!’
He slunk off. I began to feel that I had been a little hard on him. Perhaps after all he thought that he was doing his job? Perhaps every lone middle aged woman he has seen before has been here to find love? I shuddered. How embarrassing! Is that what people are thinking? But I am not taking part in any of this stuff- I don’t do karaoke, I don’t join the belly dancing competitions! But I am here on my own, and it must look that way- I mean, I am the first to say that generalisations are normally spot on!
Then the Belgian widower arrived. As I was waiting for the saucy waiter to turn up to pay him for the wine, I enquired how the day had been. Oh, the camel ride had been the best of all the three rides he had done: Camel, donkey and horse, he beamed happily. The waiter returned one dinar short in the change. I fixed him with an icy stare and informed him: ‘ I am not going to report you, not for the incident earlier, neither for short changing me, but I advice you to take care, the next person you try it on may not be so charitable.’
Actually, I am probably wrong. They may never get anyone as nasty as me again.