Cold Coffee & Beer - II

I pick up my bag from the carousel as I cant wait to rush out of the airport.
I take a glimpse at the baggage tag just to make sure.

' Nombre: Ms.Maria Isabel; Vuelo: Antofagasta - Iquique'.

Iquique had always been my secret hideout whenever reality took its toll on me.
Ever since I passed out of university, my father would try his level best to hand me the reins of his wine business which was a million dollar empire. On the other hand, I couldn't care any less. The only way I could slip away from the monotony was to abscond to Iquique under the pretext of pursuing an internship, which seemed like a promising excuse even for the 14th time.

Iquique was unlike any other metro city. The mineral rich region of the Atacama desert is a home to numerous miners and the seaport is ever a welcome destination for barefoot surfers and anyone who enjoyed an overdose of sunshine.

My cab driver takes me straight to Zofri which is the commercial duty free zone of Iquique.
I step out of the taxi hoping to see a new signboard at 'Den De Miguel', the local bar which could give a tough competition for the Shrieking Shack in Harry Potter.

Despite the dilapidated state of the hangout, this was one place in Iquique I practically lived.
Old man Miguel who runs the place is a bit hard of hearing with his sight so impeccable that he cant tell his coffee from rum. Yet the warmth of his 'fatherly' attitude which doesn't involve pestering me to clean my room brings me so much peace.

I settle down with my beer when I suddenly spot this guy making his way to the bar stool.
He ambled his way across the creaky floor, scratching his petite goatee which I bet, did not enjoy considerable grooming for a long time. His dark skin tone was a clear give away that he was from the warmer tropics adding to the fact that he wore a dirt brown jacket in the peak of summer. He towered as he sat down on the bar stool with his forehead almost touching the overhead lamp which brightly lit his moist skin. The rugged bloke, then cleared his throat, pointing his eyes of innocence at the waitress and ordered in the most benign tone,'Cold Coffee, please'.

Not that I am a big fan of Mills & Boon series where a girl goes head over heels in love with a guy who is invariably portrayed as 'tall,dark and handsome', but I cannot fathom to explain why I felt this jolt of thunder when he shot me that look from the corner of his eye. Not once, not twice but THRICE. He was certainly bad at being discreet, that's for sure. But there isn't a woman I know who wouldn't enjoy the kind of attention he spared.

He left without saying a word though, except for the small talk with Miguel, whom I dragged to a nearby table and interrogated his whereabouts. His name was Shiva or at least that is what he called himself. Seems as though he is a seafarer and his ship is alongside the Iquique bulk loading terminal. His time at Iquique however, was limited and his ship had to depart in a week. My heart sank as I ran out of the bar, looking for him in the local market. No luck. He had disappeared like a poltergeist on a foggy night.

Wait..why am I even doing this?

I come back the next day hoping to slosh down the turbulence in my heart.
Before I could even consider the possibility of searching for his vessel in the port, the wooden floor begins to creak in response to a familiar visitor. Shiva was back.

"OMG..ITS HIM", was something I did not scream. I had to play it cool, you see!

He ordered for the same cold coffee, shot me those very same looks and left precisely the same way as he did.

There was a weird ecstasy in his trickle drops of attention.
The eloquence of his silence conveyed far too many words than any string of cheesy pick up lines.
Waking up to a new dawn had never been so wonderful as I would run to Miguel's and wait for him all day long.

Alas, my insatiable hunger had gotten the best of me. I finally decide to open the Pandora's box.
I walk up to him as he wipes his lips by the edge of his sleeve. I clear my throat to mumble in my best possible tone and the most eloquent of English.

Hii..I see you come here since few days. Where you from?


He looks at me with a gaze any woman would die for.

(To be continued)