P is for Predictable

I was on day 4 of being back in Sevilla, and not one day had been different than the first. My schedule operated around Saber's schedule at the shop. And as the hour was drawing close to 3PM, I knew sooner or later Saber would appear around the corner and come to Jonata's for a cerveza and then we would begin our daily wander to find something to eat. It truly was always a wander, as we never knew where we were going when we set out and because of my love for this area of Sevilla I directed our path by what caught my eye. We never went anywhere too quickly.

At 3:05PM, Saber comes around the corner, sits at what has now become "our table", and without ordering Jonata brings him a cerveza and me Tinto de Verrano. My life has become quite predictable in such a short amount of time!

After our drinks, we wander the winding streets of el barrio, planning to go somewhere new. There are 1,000s of tapas place in Sevilla, so this shouldn't be too hard. Saber picked a spot, and when we are seated he commented that this place was excellent to come and watch football. "Its what you Americans call a 'Sports Bar'." Now that was funny. This place only had ONE TV. Goodness, if he were to see some of the American sports bars in the city he would be in absolute heaven!

We ordered tapas (of course), and vino for me and cerveza for him. We caught each other up on the happenings of the morning and early afternoon. I filled Saber in on his neighbors and what I witnessed at the cafe, and he caught me up on what was going on in the shop. We ate slowly, talked quickly, and laughed often...just as we did every single day at this hour.

My life had become so predictable in such a short amount of time, and yet, I would not swap these moments for anything. I laughed at myself daily regarding my new found routine. The Paige Miller I knew two months ago would never stand for this. Same thing for lunch everyday? Sitting at a cafe for hours vs. going and doing something new? Taking a siesta? These are things that relaxed people did. I had never been a part of that club.

Sevilla was truly doing a number on me. For once I understood why people stayed put in a city or a place, how they could put roots down and own property. I had never found a place that felt good enough to stay for too long. Even in New York, I was always making plans to leave the city whenever I got the chance.

And yet here, I just wanted to 'be'. I wanted afternoons to do nothing except lay under a tree by the river, or write at the cafe, or wander the citrus-scented streets with no feeling of pressure to move more quickly to get somewhere else. I had nowhere else I wanted or needed to go. And that fact alone was just fine by me.