La Romeria

Today is the Torremolinos Romeria and Ann and I are going to go and watch the procession and then join in the festivities after. It's a religious festival involving many colourful floats processing around the town. I believe that everything kicks off at about 10am but I'm having to wait until Ann contacts to let me know exactly what we are going to do. I know that she hasn't forgotten because she mentioned about it in Ana's bar the other night so I'm told.

I still haven't progressed the crumpet quest. Yesterday I received an unexpected txt message that turned my day upside down and today I don't think that much will get done in the kitchen either because I'll probably be out until about teatime.

It was lunchtime and I was in the middle of making a batch of Lentejas when my phone received a txt; unexpected because it was from Larisa and we haven't seen or contacted each other for almost 3 weeks, no, not quite true, I sent a "best wishes" txt just before her tests appointment to which she replied "thanks, I'll call you after." But she didn't. It seems though that any fears I have that our friendship is coming to an end are unfounded because here she is again, out of the blue, with: "Hello, how are you? What plans do you have for today? Please answer." Please answer??? Is she as worried about "us" as I am? I wonder. Anyway our 'conversation' went on with:
"None. I don't have any plans for today."
"I want to come into Torremolinos, I'll call you later."
"OK, I'll wait for you to call."
Which made me think that I might be out by about 5ish. My plans for more crumpet experiments went out of the window in favour of a dust round the apartment, doing a basket load of washing (because that's where the shirt I wanted was) and generally getting ready to meet with Lary. Since her return from Russia back in June I've realized that "I want to come to Torremolinos", or however she puts it, really means "I want to see you" but she never actually says that!

Her call came at 17:30 and this one I'll quote and translate otherwise I'll lose context "A las 21:00 yo te espero el centro, tienda eroski. Poka." Here we go again....9'clock, just a couple of hours together, hardly worth the effort (maybe it's the way that Russians do their courting? I don't know), but I digress. Despite some bad Spanish (not a criticism, she is as foreign to the language as I am) it translates to 'at 9 o'clock I will be waiting for you in the centre (of town) by the Eroski shop. Poka'. Poka is not in my Spanish dictionary so I got 'lost' on that word and assumed it was the name of a shop within the Eroski centre (a shopping mall) so I decided to go early and do a recce to find it then hide in a dark corner until nine. There was no shop called Poka so I waited outside the entrance to Eroski's and at about 10 past she arrived, walking from the wrong end of town. A bus from Malaga had not long since gone through, I'd happened to note it, and here she was 10 minutes or so later walking up to me from the bus station direction. Hmmmm. Anyway, I have to say that she looked gorgeous. She's lost those few ounces I've mentioned that she'd put on in the short space of time since I last saw her, and she was dressed to impress which she certainly did. Whilst going down into the shopping centre she told me that the job she was chasing for me was not available yet because they haven't got their license to trade yet. Typical Spain, Mañana, mañana. I already knew that it hadn't opened yet because I'd checked whether it was called 'Poka' (it's actually 'Quido') on my recce round the centre but she took me round to it because I think that she thought that somebody might be there working and she was disappointed to find that that was not the case, but it gave me the opportunity to show her her message and ask what 'poka' meant. "Poka? That's Russian for cheerio!!" My very first lesson in Russian - she has never used Russian in her SMSs to me before so she knew I wouldn't understand. She knew I would ask!

Back out in broad nightlight she said that we were going to go and eat, at El Lanjaron. And here I got into slight trouble. "I'm not hungry" I said . "You've eaten already?" she asked. "yes" I said. "Derek I've invited you." "OK, I'll have some soup but next time tell me when you call if you intend to eat, you know my English way is to eat early." We actually had a great time over the meal, my spanish even allowed me to crack some funnies that made her laugh and that pleases me, (one was that I told her I was going to pay for this because it's nice and cheap, she can pay for the next meal together, in the Moscow Hilton or Waldorf perhaps, where I'll be on Caviar and champagne. "Very clever Mr Derek Field, very clever!" She loves to say my full name like that and her accent really gives it that something extra!!). She received a txt from Katy and responded by calling her back and announcing that she had asked me out and I was sat opposite (in Spanish so that I would hear and understand!). I've absolutely no idea what was in Katy's txt but I think I must have been figuring in it somewhere. The waiters there recognise us together now and pay good attention to us which is nice. Last night if either of us so much as glanced a waiters way he (or another) was there in the next instant. That's not to say that other clients aren't treated the same way of course, but it does mean we are among the respected regulars (even although we aren't that regular) and that's nice.

"Let's go somewhere for a drink" She suggested. "OK, where?" I replied. "I don't know, we'll walk" she answered. Torremolinos was alive with outdoor noisy entertainment to do with the romeria and we ended up in the main plaza (square) where there are lots of bars but also a temporary stage which was blaring out loud music from a portable disco thingy. "Which bar?" "Somewhere quiet and comfortable" she requested so I took her round to Maria's Bar where we sat on the terrace amongst people I knew, all quiet and comfortable. My new haircut has not been seen by all those that I know yet and a couple of the ladies present came over to check that it was me, give the customary kisses and pass comment about how much 'younger' it makes me look etc. etc.; she did it again, demonstrated (an almost imperceptible) slight uneasiness about others grabbing my attention, I know her well enough now to see the signs. I've given this some thought and realized that it could be due to the fact that she does not understand the conversation that passes, as it's obviously all in English, rather than possessiveness but on the other hand when I'm introduced to her male friends (Jesus for example) she sometimes goes to great lengths to make sure that I understand that they are just that, friends. I remember once in the bar she brought a mixed gang of friends in (custom for me) and then began to really worry that I would be getting the wrong impression. The strange thing is that we do not seem to be anything other than good friends together either so I don't know why she does that. BTW she "fished" about America again while we were eating. Very subtely. If the bull has got horns perhaps one of us needs to grab them.

All too soon these few hours came to an end and we were back at the bus stop...to Malaga, I was right. She has girlfriends there that she's probably staying with for company, now that Katy has left, while she gets through this medical trauma. She admitted to me last night that she has been suffering many headaches lately but I still don't know what is actually wrong. The fact that she is not very well may be why 3 weeks have passed since we last saw each other, the operation that she is due to undergo is scheduled in November. The bus was already in when we got there so she was straight on after saying that she would call me. And something about her 'air' as she said that made me think that she didn't really want to be leaving. Through the window I asked how long before the bus goes. About 4 minutes she replied so I said OK I'm going to go, blew a kiss, which she blew back, and took my leave.

UPDATE - Ann and I didn't go to the Romeria, she is suffering a bad back.