My Date with Jesse

BEFORE Jesse started a school schedule of 9 to 3:20, 5 days a week, D and I thought it smart to seperate the kids to give them some alone time with a parent. This was last Friday. So Lulu and D went to a cafe on a date and I took Jesse on a double-decker bus ride to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. We had a fun ride, hopped off, oogled at the Tower, walked over the bridge and found a way to walk under it and come up on the other side. Jesse found this to be the highlight and so exciting that he was jumping, making unintelligible sounds, and pointing at the road. I inferred that he wanted to cross the road and do it again so we did and then instead of heading to Starbucks to play cards (J had packed a whole back-pack full) J wanted to go to the cafe right in front of us as we emerged from the underpass. Reluctantly I agreed as I had my heart set on, not the best, but a reliable mocha.

There was a man dressed in a suit at the register taking my order. Odd, but I was too distracted by life in another culture to really pay it much attention, I mean you should see me stare at the change it my wallet. I told him what we wanted and he said "Where are you from?" California. "What part?" San Francisco. (That's when I realized his American accent.). He said "I used to manage an Italian restaurant there." He said "Bruno's". And from there we chatted for a 1/2 hour. He was the food and beverage manager there (there being 20th and Mission, a short walk from my old house in SF) and had introduced the southern food. I asked if he had worked there when they had the orange seats, and he said yes. He said the coffee was on the house and sat down with us . (I thought "shoot, this will ruin my date with Jesse") But he engaged J a bit and he was not a weirdo. He referred to having grown up in Connecticut and I said I grew up in Massachusetts and he said, "Really, what part?" I said HIngham. And he said "Really!" Then he asked me if I knew some people and I didn't but I found out that he worked for a catering business called "A Catered Affair" (one I've heard of) based out of my home town and we talked about a few Hingham things. It was really fun and I found that it was great to talk to someone who knew where I was from on both coasts. He had such a historical knowledge and interest in London, I thought Darren and John would really enjoy talking to him also.

J and I said good bye to him after a bit because he had just been checking in on the cafe (since he is food and beverage manager for the hotel right there) and we had a blast playing War, Crazy 8's, Old Maid. It was a refreshing day!