Miscellanea from the Lost Quarter and beyond. 

Blessings

They arrived at the agreed upon place, straggling in twos and threes to the hotel lobby where masked attendants welcomed them with bows and ma’ams and sirs, ushering them through the entrance to the restaurant. With each new arrival everyone had to stand and greet the newcomers. There was laughter and embraces, explanations offered for those absent. The elders held out their hands and the younger pressed it to their foreheads, bowing down slightly, lending a formality to the occasion.  

After some stilted conversation, where everyone worked to reacquaint themselves after so many years apart, they decamped to the buffet. Some conducted reconnaissance of the full spread before making their selections, but most headed to the soups for a bowl of sour broth with pork or congee to begin. The serving tables were filled with local delicacies as well as more standard fare: Kare Kare, siomai and siopao, Laing, Lechon belly and more. For dessert there was cake and ice cream, flan and a Halo Halo station. 

Now that they were eating the talk was much easier. No one felt obligated to speak to the whole group, instead chatting with those closest. There was the usual discussion of politics, of what had happened in the city since the visitors had last been there, and all the good and bad of the world. Work was discussed and relations not present. The visitors talked of their lives overseas, of the weather and how cold it was, how the government worked and how (very) distant places were. 

As the evening wore on servers began to move about the restaurant loudly singing happy birthday at every table that had availed itself of the birthday discount for any guest whose birthday fell in the current month. Applause followed each rendition, ending when the next round struck up in what, for a few terrifying minutes, seemed, an infinite loop.  

They were in a land of discounts. There were senior discounts, birthday discounts, discounts for those staying at the hotel, discounts for charging the bill to the room, discounts for groups larger than 10, and more. The visitors had wondered as they made their reservation the day before if they would somehow end up being owed money by the restaurant.  

They were left alone when they were done eating, as every table was, to converse for as long as they wished. When they had exhausted all conversation they took their leave as a group, gathering again in the lobby. It was prom season and gleaming teenagers, practically vibrating with excitement, trailed by their proud parents kept streaming through. They looked on benevolently, reminiscing about the schools they had attended.  

The visitors had returned to one earlier in the day, exploring the grounds after claiming to the security guard manning the gates of the campus that they needed a copy of their transcripts. The campus was vast, a series of long, interlocking buildings with courtyards at the centre. High school, elementary and university students intermingled in a constant buzz of activity. They sat in the shade of one courtyard watching as people moved about, the air still, hot and heavy.  

Everyone said goodbye two or three more times in the lobby, lingering and not quite willing to let the evening end. Just as it seemed all conversation had been exhausted someone had another question or anecdote. There was heartfelt goodbye after heartfelt goodbye. More embraces and shaking of hands. At length all those who had come took their leave, the attendants bowing and ma’am siring them out. They disappeared into the darkness of the night, leaving the visitors to return to their hotel room.