Musical Cafes

There's a confiteria (casual cafeteria place) a few blocks away from me that has WiFi. I have gone there occasionally to work online when I don't want to be stuck at home. It has air conditioning which can be a nice relief from the sweltering heat. The other night, after exchanging typical pleasantries with the waiter (how long are you here, what are you doing here, do you like Argentina, etc.) the waiter said to me, "you are muy bonita." I just said thank you and went back to chatting online with my sister. The next time I went there, I think he asked me out, but I'm not sure I understood him. Just before I left, he asked if I had a boyfriend back home, then a boy friend here. I sort of made an excuse saying it was harder to date here given the language barrier. Then he said something and I just kind of nodded and didn't say anything back (which is when I think he may have asked me out.)

I haven't gone back since. Not that I was particularly avoiding him, it's just not one of the places I frequent. I also have no idea how old he is, anywhere from 25 to 45! And while he was certainly a handsome Argentine man, I just thought of the encounter as a typical Argentine interaction where the men are constantly trying to pick up any woman within a 50 yard radius.

This afternoon I went to a nicer restaurant in the neighborhood to spend some more time on the computer working on an article with Julie and have a nice lunch. After sitting down and chatting with the owner (yes, I'm here to learn Spanish, I'm from California, I've been here for 4 months, yes, I love Argentina..........), she complimented me on my Spanish. At that moment, the waiter approached and said, yes, her Spanish is excellent and she's doing all sorts of interesting things. It was the SAME waiter from the other place!! I was shocked. So much for not really avoiding him.