Looking for Love

Searching for love

Craig sipped his drink in a tall frosted glass and kept his eyes fixed on the girl picking up the empty glasses from the table opposite him.

The breeze and noise drifted in from the street as he sat on a high stool by the open window and he put his glass down and looked briefly at the tuk-tuk drivers and the hawkers and the tourists who passed on the pavement beside him.

He caught the girl smiling as she turned and walked to the bar. She was dark skinned and petite with black hair in a pony tail.

It was early afternoon and the bar was empty except for Craig and a couple of men sitting on a table further inside away from the open windows that ran along the length of the bar.

The girl returned to Craig's table and replaced a bowl of salted peanuts.

"You want more gin and tonic?" she asked.

"No," Craig replied. "But I do have a question for you."

"Are you happy here?" he asked. "Would you like to come back to my country with me? I'm rich, I have a house and car and a good job."

She smiled at him again.

"I happy here," she said. "I have house and scooter. I not rich but so - so."

The girl picked up the empty bowl of peanuts and returned to the bar.

Craig shook his head and turned his attention to the street outside.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Don't worry mate." It was one of the men on the other table who was leaving.

"She's the boss here and she owns three other pubs down the road, " he said laughing. "I reckon she could support you better than you could support her!"