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Doll enters the cafe. She marches up to the counter and says: "I had too much Tsekoudia last night and I have decided I need some more today as a cure and; while you are at it, please pour up two shots of whiskey too!" She looks at Glow behind the counter as if she's not going to process her orders and laughs her horselike laughter. She stares at Glow with blood shot eyes, but Glow doesn't mind her; she is just delighted to have a paying customer...

Doll finally turns to view the other guests this early Friday morning: "Bloody Hell, what a disgusting creed you are hosting today, Gol, I think I'll have my drinks outside"....

Out she marches without a glance at the other guests
Jay is sitting in his corner tapping on his keypad; exactly what's written above. Sometimes he hates these two lost cases of humanity", he tells himself. They are ugly, lost in this forsaken place of the world. They are constantly grumpy and unpleasant to be with. They are drinking a lot, which doesn't make them any more edible.

Doll is big as a walrus and can scare any man or woman out of their wits by lashing out truly horrible sarcastic comments in a voice that must blow up any decibel measuring instrument... She's usually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt in dull blue - grey colors and she never wears a bra, everything is just wobbling around on her torso; no walks on the cat walk for her, ever...

Glow has a flare about her, but her grumpy and negative appearance kills immediately... Doll stumbles out the door, sighing heavily with one hand on her forehead, Glow follows with the drinks on a tray and a huge glass of red wine for her self. Before she can put the tray down on the table Doll has grabbed the glass of Tsekoudia and gulped it down in one go. With the tray placed in front of her she immediately grasps the closest glass of whiskey and hoists it down her throat, followed by the other at the same pace... Then she burps loudly and laughs her bellowing laughter again.

Glow has placed herself neatly with crossed legs on the other side of the table and sips her wine like a lady. There are still some British manners left in her; although she might not be aware of it.

Glow's face is shaped like the Himalayas as they can be viewed on a photo taken from a satellite in orbit...

She constantly moans about the cafe that doesn't bring in the money she had anticipated 4 years ago...

For Jay it works like this: he cannot stay too long with any of these hippos. "No wonder guests are shunning this place", he says to himself.

Jay feels like he is provoking them by his shear appearance, so he puts the money for the coffee on the counter and steps outside, saying good bye to the two beauties who has arrived at the point of happiness right now. Doll's face has turned purple and he's worried about her health, but why should he bother? Dol has paved the way for her slow suicide herself...

After a few steps Doll growls at him something sounding like "honey, are you leaving? Don't you like us anymore?!" and then the laughter...

Jay hastens off telling himself that this is the last time he visits this cafe, which is something he's told himself between grinding teeth many times before.

The Cafe itself is shabby and worn down. There's occasional leakages from the ceiling due to dried up concrete. When it rains the guests must help putting out buckets and pots covering half the floor. There's a gas heater by the wall which is lit under these wet circumstances. This mainly happens in wintertime and early spring.

The furniture is made out of the traditional Greek wooden chairs with hamp string wound up around the frame as a seat. Every 15 minutes one should take a walk to ease up the pain in one's but and back.

Smallish wooden tables goes with the chairs. there's no tablecloths on them. The ownes; Doll and Glow are not too keen on extra laundry and the hazzle of too much equipment in the cafe.

In fact this is not a cafe as Norhtern Europeans sees it; it's a traditional "cafeneion", where only men used to go to have an ouzo and mecedes (small dish of sardines, small, pickled cucumberes, red pepper and olives soaked in oil) and smoke 20-30 cigarettes...

Jay lives just 150 m away from the cafe, so it's convenient for him to drop in and have his morning coffee there now and then...

He strolls the 150 meters' distance down the street from the Plaza

The Cafe is situated on a little Platia named after a once famous general... It could be a cozy place, but with these owners it will never happen....

After 20 meters' walk he is already feeling releived: the air feels more fresh, light is brighter...

He lives in a newly built block with what would be called luxury flats by his friends in this little town by the Mediterranean Sea. He can afford it with his reasonable income in the form of a pension and disability benefits. The Mediterranean climate makes him feel better...

He climbs up the stairs to the 5th floor and enters the apartment. He likes it and chose it for it's view and the light. The walls are painted in a cream white color. The floor is made of huge white marble tiles as the kitchen desks are. There's a balcony outside the combined livingroom and kitchen. Wide sliding glass doors lets the lush light in and he can sit outside having a peaceful time for himself underneath a canvas baldakin. He invites friends there now and then for a glass of wine and whatever he has in his fridge.

Looking down the street he can see the fishing harbour which lies by the local beach, only 4 minutes' walk from his apartment. If he turns his head up the street, he can see the "Lefka Ori ", which means "The white mountains". They are not named after the snow covering the mountain sides (The highest peaks reaches up to 2500 meters), but after the color of the minerals they are built from.

At this time of the day he usually goes to town on his bicycle. He's always looking forward to ride the bike along the sea: with the salty air and smell in his nose, his hair waving around his head and the lush sunlight shining through the canopies of the trees; flickering in his eyes and brain. It makes him feel like he is gone from this world...

He puts his computer in the bedroom cupboard and straps the rucksack on his back and jumps the stairs down to the basement where he keeps his bike. He' s happy as a little boy every time he's going for a ride on his bicycle.

In 3 minutes he's in the street. He turns the corner where the talkative owner of the barber shop sits outside in the cool morning air. He smiles and waves his hand at him, a gesture which is immediatley answered with a loud "kali mera, fille mho!" Jay is always amazed by the power of the barber's voice! Not sotto voce; but then he is a Greek man...

crnning@gmail.com

See also: www.illioscoaching.com

Bicycling

When I can ride my bike along the sea or in dense traffic and I feel my heart pounding, my breath going steadily and my hair waving as a flag around my head; I feel happy!

sometimes I think that riding a bike is better than having sex! No demands, no gas to fill; just pure freedom! The feeling of being free and juveniled.

A bicycle is the most profound invention on wheels humans have made...
Just imagine how good it is for our environment and our health. No pollution, no oil pumps necessary to keep this vehicle running!

It's amazing how much we humans cling to standards that kills us; people are killed in hundreds of thousands every year in traffic accidents on this planet; millions are molested in the traffic. hundreds of thousands get heart attacks due to sitting in their too comfortable seats and barely moving between destinations...

We do this for the comfort; and th status, of course. A gigantic show off!

I was going to take a picture of my present bike, but my love has taken the camera with her on a 2 days seminar!

As you can see; I have found my camera... ;o)

Anyway, go get yourselves a bicycle and don't forget your kids!