08:00 No taxicabs. I gave up on going to my planned destination and decided to go somewhere else.
08:15 I headed towards my favorite spot in Tunis. A simple coffee shop where I feel familiar and where I find comfort. A simple place that feels like home. my home. The moment I entered the place I felt uneasy. Something was different this time. Instead of the owners of the coffee shop, I found an old man and a middle-aged woman. Instead of the regular customers, I found people who were too neat, too pretty, too perfect. People who had their fingernails varnished and their hair straightened. People who had fancy clothes and expensive smartphones. And I ... I colonized the table found in the center of their property. This time I was not the inhabitant. I was the alien with my messed-up hair, sick nose and anxious thoughts. It was the case till he came in.. one of the owners of the place. Can you imagine the amount of relief a familiar face can bring you?
13:21 There is a fine line between familiarity and routine. Change coffee shop? No. I'll change seats.
15:02 Sitting here all day long all alone at the coffee shop made me remember Simone when she used to sit all alone for hours at the Café du Flore in the company of her writings and a glass of white wine. If she was not intimidated by solitude, so won't I.
