Where does one stay when you are kicked out of your lodging in a foreign land? At this point, I have been through so much in the last few days I didn't have many tears left. I had forty dollars left. I should go somewhere to eat and think about what to do. I looked at what was close to me and found a place that smelled delicious. The restaurant also had many people waiting in line to enter. I walked over to investigate. I talked to the person outside. She told me that there was a 2-hour wait for tables, but if I wanted to sit at the bar I could go in right away. I ask her to point me in the direction of the bar. Following her pointed finger, I walked to the bar and pulled out a chair to sit. The bar was on a raised platform and it faced many beautifully colored bottles and had a worker who stood there waiting for people to order drinks. It was apparently what I would have called a tavern in my hometown. The barkeeper handed me a menu and then walked away. I should ask him for some information when I have a chance. Maybe he will know where I can stay. I ordered my food and the bartender asked, "What about something to drink?" I didn't know what beverages were popular here, so I asked for a beer. The bartender rolled his eyes at me. "We have like 50 types of beer." Woah. Sometimes I forget where I am. I asked him for whatever type he liked best. Soon a glass of bright yellow foamy drink was plopped in front of me while I waited for my food. For the first time since I arrived, I will eat something other than protein bars. I cannot wait.
I drank the first beer and I wanted another one. Unfortunately, I am not sure how much the first one cost and I needed to be careful with my money. Suddenly, the bartender put a new drink in front of me. This one was pink and had sugar around the rim. "Oh, I didn't order this." He smiled at me as I said, "It's from that table of guys over there." He pointed over to a table with two men at it. They waved at me and one of them winked. I started to feel embarrassed. I never had attention like this without an escort to protect me. My whole life, everyone knew who I was and that ended any random displays of attention like this one. I drank the new pink drink, it had a strong taste to it. I sipped it. But it's taking a while for my food to come so I finished that drink too. At this point, I am feeling the effects of these drinks. My cheeks flushed and my mind started to get foggy. This is the last thing that I need on a night when I don't know where I am sleeping.
A few minutes later, a new drink is placed in front of me, "This one is from that guy over there." The bartender now pointed out a new man. This one was slightly older. I cannot believe that men buy women's drinks. This drink was bright blue and had a pineapple with it. I took a big sip. Unlike the last drink, this one tasted very sweet. I began to drink this drink almost too quickly. My food finally came out. At this moment, the older man who bought this blue drink came over to talk to me. I bowed my head and said thank you for the drink. He smiled at me. I saw a gold tooth in his mouth. Perhaps that is a sign of wealth? He asked me a few questions about myself, but mostly talked about himself. The company he owns, the car he drives, and his fabulous 4-bedroom home. He started to get closer to me with each passing minute. I was uncomfortable with him. He tried putting his hands on my lap, and I pushed them off. He put his hand on my waist, I pushed it off again. The guy was getting even more aggressive and was trying to convince me to go with him to his house to see a pool. I told him I didn't have a swimsuit, and he responded that I wouldn't need one. I cringed at this. I was desperately looking around for someone to come help me. After I told him no for the second time, he grew pushy. He tried grabbing my arm. Just as I was about to break his wrist with my glass, someone else stepped in.
This tall, dark, handsome man grabbed the unwanted older guy by the shoulders and pushed him out of the way. Then he directed him out of the restaurant completely. I was so relieved. After a few minutes, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome returned to the bar. He returned to his table with an older woman. He nodded at me and then sat down next to the woman. I paid my bill to the bartender and was about to leave. But I decided to go say thank you to my knight in shining armor. As I got closer, I noticed exactly how handsome he was. He had straight, dark black hair that hung around his face. He pushed it out of his eyes now and again. It left the most beautiful shape in his hair every time he did. He wore a tan suit that had a vest buttoned underneath. He also had a tie and a pocket square. He reminded me of how a man looked back from Pergamum. He had a black symbol on his hand. He stopped mid-sentence as I approached. Nervously looking him in the eyes, I said, "I am so grateful for your help with that man back there. I appreciate you stepping in to help a stranger." I bowed as I said it. I stopped and realized I hadn't seen anyone in Los Angeles bow. Embarrassment set in, and my cheeks turned pink. A smile broke across his face. He looked at me and said, "Anytime." I was about to leave when he asked, "Do you want to join us? It looks like you are alone." I turned around. This was the first polite society I had experienced since coming to Los Angeles. With so many people everywhere, I felt like I had started to fade into non-existence. I smiled and said, "I would love to join you." He then signaled for a waitress to bring another chair, and I sat down next to him.
The woman with him turned out to be a boss from his work. They had come to celebrate a big win at their office. After a few minutes, she got up to excuse herself to go home to her family. I was left alone with this new friend. His name was Nolan. He smiled when he talked about work. I got the impression that he got a lot of his worth from his job. He talked to me about his job at first, but soon we moved on to other topics. I asked about his family and he explained how he was out in Los Angeles trying to make a life for himself after being raised in poverty. His story about how he overcame obstacles to become successful was so inspiring to me. Everyone I had known as Ana was born into privilege and wealth. I can't imagine the type of drive it takes for someone to start life out poor and change their circumstances. That was at least something appealing to me about Olivia's life. People here had no hierarchies to hold them back. People like Nolan, who were good at what they did, could make a better life for themselves than the one they were born into. Imagine if I had that kind of opportunity back home. I would have been able to continue sword training. I would have been able to rise in the military ranks as a respected leader.
My conversation with Nolan went by so quickly. We got onto the topic of our future dreams. He talked about how much more he wanted out of life. Drive. Just like me. I had always been criticized for wanting more. I explained that to him, and he listened. He told me how my parents couldn't control my life anymore and that I should go after my dreams. I kept finding myself more in awe of this person. He was so different than any man I had ever met before. All while we were talking, he kept ordering us drinks. He acted like money was no issue. He got me the finest wine on the menu. It was perfect. Warm and robust. Just like the wine back home that I loved. He could tell I was enjoying it, so he kept my glass full. Soon, the tables around us cleared out. It was getting late. I looked at the clock and worried about where I would sleep tonight. Just as I did, Nolan asked, "Hey, do you want to come back to my place?" I eye him suspiciously, and he replies, "No, I promise nothing shady will happen." If I were any less desperate or any less drunk, I would have said no, but I needed somewhere to stay. I smiled at him and said, "Okay."