Saturdays in 142 Café
What keeps you staring?
Saturdays are for Gig sessions.
It’s Liriko who will perform today.
Thoughts as I ran from the office to the coffee shop:
It’s a 20-minute walk reduced to 8 with my pace.
- I hate my boss for giving a task 30 minutes away before time out. He threw in 50 names for me to categorize and fill in 8 columns of data he needed early the next day. Like seriously? Had the whole day waiting for a task and he’ll give me one before the day ends. He’ll never understand how important today is. (I bet you won’t too)
- Yohan will be there. Lead vocals. The only person who got me running in a tight-fitted formal skirt in the middle of traffic.
- It will be the last performance of the band. Yohan is about to go abroad and I’ll never get to hear that cold husky voice again.
You’ll notice who the regulars are here in 142 Café. I don’t know when or how it started but Jannah is so used to having us order by raising our fingers or a combination thereof.
As I rushed in, Jannah looked at me as I raised a wrist. She nods, a wrist for an espresso. Thumbs up for a cold and down for a hot. She’ll respond with a quick salute meaning she got it. Then, she signaled a saved front seat.
Liriko has been performing for 142 Café for three years. And I am proud to tell you that I’ve never missed any of their sessions. But even then, I have not talked to Yohan or any of their members. I’m not one of those girls who scream with their lungs out and throw themselves out there. Don’t have the guts maybe. Or I don’t know, to see them live and listen to how they play their music is already enough.
Liriko is a rock band. They write their songs. Jannah told me that one of them was the songwriter. They are playing my most repeated song,
Kindness is a liar
On Bridge:
They’ll kiss you and they’ll kill you
They’ll tell you good things as they dig a place to bury
Shout before they cut your tongue
They are waiting
Their god, not our God is coming
The song gives me the creeps, the words I mean. But because Yohan’s voice is too good and he looks hot wearing that white shirt, everyone including me shoved aside questions.
Though I am bothered right now. I can’t focus. The lead guitarist is staring at me for an unknown reason. He’s so white he looked dead, and he like the lyrics is giving me the creeps.
Their session ended, and my supposed to be satisfying last time to hear them felt terrible because of this man who was surprisingly approaching me.
“This will annoy you. But I just want to ask, what makes you our fan?”
“I’m just here for Yohan.”
“Ohh. The cult of cold-husky-voice worshippers. You’re one of them alright.”
“You owe me. Do you know how bothered I am the whole time? You’re staring, creepy. May I know why?”
“I’m always looking at you. And this is the first to have you notice that. Dang, torture.”
“Shhhh- Could you tell me who wrote the lyrics of ‘KIAL’?”
“And why would I?”
“I don’t know much about music but I just wanted to know what kind of thoughts the writer has. His religion maybe, or what kind of god, and their God is he referring to? Beliefs and for words to come out like that, there must be something about him.”
He’s doing it. The staring. It’s creepier up close. “Hey! Can you not stare like that?”
He smirked. Pointing the stage to Jannah, she nods. “I owe you, right?”
Didn’t notice that people were already out, it was almost 1:00 am. This creepy man stood up on the stage.
“A free pass. Try not to stare too much.”
And then, I lost him. His hands started to strum the strings. His head bowed down. A stance I can’t describe. Not proud but it pulls you in. The sound is not sad, not their usual theme of questioning society of their own beliefs and decisions, the sound is calmer now. Instrumental maybe.
And then he opened his mouth as he came back to me, doing that staring thing again as he uttered the words;
Have you ever loved from afar?
Done nothing but stare and wait
Too much is at stake
Not knowing the name
Blind in a guessing game
But I’m pouring, have you noticed?
I let it all bleed for a single glance
Why?
Let it die for a single chance
And then he stopped. Jumped back to his seat. I’m staring because I want to ask him too many questions at once.
“I’m an Atheist. I sing what I feel. Sometimes, words are everything.”
Thank you for reading. 🌷
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