Photo by Patrick Tomasso — Unsplash

Happy Hour with Mariko

Margarita Mondays and matters of the heart

Bjorn Landas
Jul 25, 2017 · Unlisted

“Don’t you miss being in a relationship?”

Mariko and I were on our fourth glass. We didn’t plan to drink as much, but the waiter kept on coming out with a fresh batch of margaritas even before our glasses were completely empty.

“I do, sometimes.”

“What do you do when that happens?” Mariko was starting to slur her words.

“I remind myself that there are other things to worry about.”

Mariko looked at me like she wanted to say something but gave up half-way. She reached for the lighter on the table and lit a cigarette instead.

We didn’t say anything for a while. Mariko focused on finishing her stick while I watched the cars pass by the street. A few cars would clog up the road until the stoplight turned green, then red, repeating the cycle. Everyone was hurrying home except us.

“I wish being in a relationship was easier.” Mariko broke the silence first. I bum a cigarette from her pack and light one.

“I’d like to think it is with the right person.” I say, exhaling my first puff.

“How do you even know if that person is the right one?” She took a sip from her drink and continued. “Do you know it right off the bat? Or is it a gradual realization kind-of-thing?” Mariko went on about the complexities of relationships and how almost every single one was bound to fail from the start. At one point, she got lost in her own thought process and paused, but she eventually made it back to her main point — that finding the right person for you has more to do with luck than it does with effort and love and everything in between.

All I could do after hearing Mariko’s frustrations was nod in reflection. I didn’t exactly agree to everything she said, but it made sense. “So do you think you’re lucky enough to find the right one?” I asked.

“I think I am.” She stirs what’s left of her drink and downs it easy. “I just need to stop dating the wrong ones,” she added.

We spent the rest of the night reminiscing about our failed relationships and why they never worked out. I told her about the regrets that continue to haunt me, and in return, she confided in me with hers. Alcohol made talking about love lost easier.


After two more rounds, we decided to call it a night. Mariko looked more tipsy than I did, so I made sure she got a cab before getting one myself.

“So does it work?” Mariko asked before we parted ways.

“Does what work?”

“The reminder. That thing we were talking about earlier.”

I smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Not always.” I waited for her to get inside the cab and walked around the place a little to sober up.

Bjorn Landas

Written by

I’m just trying to make sense of life.

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