Chapter 31: More Than Just Furniture and Meatballs, Part 5

"And what do we get? Shows that should've run at the same time at the same time zone, transcending borders, instead get delayed for a few hours… to even a whole season. And in an internet-savvy era, people would find ways to watch those shows ahead of those… dinosaur networks."

Thus ends Laurent the bartender's explanation of why Canadian broadcast television can be a wasteland despite the country's close proximity to the United States.

And Lavian the Canadian woman understands everything he said to heart.

He then consoles her, "Well, you've said you decided to settle down here to discover your lost childhood, right? I've got the perfect drink for you to kick-start that goal of yours."

Doing his usual bartender moves, Laurent grabs a pitcher each of two drinks he prepared beforehand, pours one half of one drink and one half of another drink into the cocktail shaker along with some ice, and shakes the shaker for fifteen seconds before he pours the resultant drink into a tall glass that has already been garnished with a lemon wedge and a single tea leaf.

"Here you go, Miss Lavian. The Arnold Palmer, named after the famous golfer."

She quickly takes a sip and really likes the taste.

"Wow! This is like… a simple but effective combination of two childhood drinks! Thank you!"

"Consider this my welcome gift to you."

After she's done with the drink, we three then go ahead with introducing her to the other employees.

Simone, Sabrina Misora, Angeli, Arcadia, and Stephanie, the five waitresses, all welcome the new face.

Arcadia, who is the newest employee (she was drafted just a month before we rescued Aurora), takes the initiative.

"Oh, hi. Lavian, isn't it?"

Well, she still has to get used to the motions here, but she's getting there.

One brief mandatory "introduce yourself" sequence later…

"Well, it'll be the luck of the draw on who will get to serve you tonight. And I don't mean…"

Lavian concurs, "Yes, I know, Arcadia. This is a family-friendly establishment."

"Anyway, we five look forward to you having a great time here! Later!"

Next up is the barback, Dax.

He has this sour look on this face, but he manages to clear most of it up when he first sets his sights on Lavian.

The two exchange introductions as normal, then Dax cuts to the chase.

"Well, Miss Lavian, I guess it's better to confess and let it all out than to keep it hidden and accumulate stress as a result. Ready to hear it all? It may take long.

"I've visited a high school reunion just recently just to know how my old classmates were doing, but when I saw the opinions of many of them about the elections, I was… I… I just couldn't explain my anger.

"I was so dismayed. What they said was mostly unforgiving and elitist. Their thoughts and ideologies were clouded with 'all for the greater good'; but in reality, they were so self-absorbed and arrogant, they just aren't willing to accept the inevitable results. They're also tolerating inane things such as boycotting the government – hello, migration ideas! – rather than help and criticize if every they did something wrong. In their eyes, the majority will vote for the number one candidate because they are dumb and cannot think for themselves, but could they at least consider that those in the majority are seeing what they don't see?

"They even yap stuff like 'If radical love is love even if were continually hurt, I wish we still have enough strength to heal, rise, and love again. We must not let our hearts be enshrouded by darkness again.' Yeah, right. What came out of their lips didn't match the feelings inside them. Revolution is what they truly want. Do they have enough weapons if ever civil war breaks out? Maybe they would all end up as cannon fodder like those conscripts fighting a senseless war somewhere in eastern Europe. And I'm saying that as someone who doesn't like guns.

"In the end, the ad they wanted to drill into my head that is immune to all sorts of gullibility is really not that elegant. Screw them all!"

Laurent approaches him and tells him…

"It's good that you've said what you've wanted to say, but should you tire yourself out doing that? Look, we're not yet open, and you feel kind of bushed. Here, have a pick-me-up."

He offers the barback the same drink he gave Lavian – the Arnold Palmer – and the latter graciously accepts it.

"Thanks, bud. I know you can be dependable, as expected of a bartender like you."

"That's just nothing. Now then, we still have stuff to arrange."

"Yes, sir!"

And Dax then faces the Canadian with a renewed resolve.

"I hope you have a smoking good time here, miss."

"Yeah, thanks."

Up next on the "she must meet" list is Felicia the head cook.

But as Felicia's busy with commandeering the entire kitchen in preparation for another busy evening, she and Lavian just exchange introductions before they part ways, but not until the former whispers the following to the later…

"I'll whip something awesome, just for you. If you like it, I'll place it in the menu."

Lavian just nods in total agreement.

And finally, she will get to meet Zach the owner.

Still rocking his cowboy hat, he greets her good evening before introducing himself, and the Canadian girl introduces herself in return.

Zach expounds, "To be honest, I've never met a full-blooded Canadian myself in my entire life. Though I am a fan of several Canadian actors. Ryan Reynolds, Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, the late Leslie Nielsen..."

"Well, all those actors you've mentioned have a great sense of humor. I also kind of like them, too."

"Great! We're both on the same frequency, girlie! And for that, I'll let you wear my hat for this night only."

"But… won't your scent linger on my hair?"

"Not to worry. Since it's my favorite hat, I obviously want to take care of it as much as I can to ensure its longevity. Everyday, before I head off to work, my hat goes on a maintenance routine so that it looks and smells great every time. So rest assured, Miss Lavian."

"Thank you!"