Sally sat in the shaded area of the sidewalk café. The heat had her feeling drained she admitted to herself. This trip west had been a disaster from start to and, she cringed at the thought the finish was only two days away. Then it was home again. Mentally she shrugged. At least she could say she had been to California. However, she was not impressed at all. Too hot and too way out for her. Not to mention too let down too.
She took another sip of her chilled iced fresh orange juice. The bastard. The fake blonde all lying Californian bastard. To lead her on.. "Sorry honey I never thought you would actually…" Ach, she stopped that circling train of thought. She was here, and determined to make something of it, to get some benefit from her hard earned cash.
She looked down the street to her left, idly watching the so unfamiliar traffic lights cycle straight from red to green, the unfamiliar everything she was observing. Even rain would be a nice change from the unremitting and to her still unfamiliar sun. She chuckled to herself, from a Scot that was quite an admission. The smell of exhaust fumes tickled her nostrils, making her wonder about the pollution levels. Wafts of fresh bread smells teased her taste buds in counterpoint.
Sally turned and looked the other way. There was a tall blonde girl striding towards her. How very all American the girl looked, her white mini skirt swinging with the rhythm of her long tanned thighs. Something was odd about this girl? Then her skirt flew up with the updraft from a sidewalk vent belonging to the bakery two stores up the street. The blonde was blonde right enough. A real blonde, or Sally thought with a mental giggle, she was dyeing high and low. Hurriedly she ended her Marilyn Monroe scene flushing at her display. She wore a woven cane shoulder bag and as she strode barefooted past, Sally saw the dress was neatly caught on the bag exposing her twinkling cheeks to all. She grabbed her camera and took a swift shot.
Then Sally spotted the anomaly that had caught her attention in the first place. On the girl's shoulder was a lizard. It turned it's head and displayed a scarlet frill then stuck out it's tongue at her. Sally laughed aloud and the girl turned to look back at her. Their eyes met and Sally had to, just had to say.
"Excuse me?" The girl paused. "Your skirt is rather caught in your bag. I'm afraid you're showing a bit more than you planned?"
The blonde laughed. Felt behind her and sorted her mini with a swift flick of her hand.
"Hey, thanks hon, that was real kind of you. That's some accent you have. Not from about here, I guess then?"
"That's right. I'm not from here at all." Sally agreed. She was fed up of the usual ensuing conversations when she revealed her homeland. The blonde settled the lizard with a swift kiss and took the vacant chair at Sally's table.
"Hey, I hope you don't mind, but Lizzie here is thirsty I guess, and so am I. All right if we join you and perhaps I can get you another juice for your kindness to my ass." She grinned engagingly, showing perfect teeth to Sally. She leant forward offering her hand. "I'm Sonia and this is Lizzie, pleased to meet you hon, you're? The question hung for a moment, on the still, shimmering air.
Sally took the offered hand and shook gently. "Sally is I."
Sonia ordered a juice and a glass of water from the arriving waitress, who took a backward step when she saw Sonia's pet.
"'Tis cool lady, Lizzie knows her manners. No ice for her though please. She don't like it." Turning to Sally as the waitress in some confusion left. "Now where in the world are you from. Let's see. Red hair, very pale, don't like the heat or the sun either huh. The hat says that." Nodding at Sally's broad brimmed straw hat. As Sally offered to speak. "Hey chill here, let me see if I can get this worked out. Hmm, okay I got it. You're Irish yes?"
Sally laughed. "Very close indeed, but I'm from Scotland not Ireland. Though on the evidence you are very nearly right and physically some Irish girls are just like me. So very good indeed, a clever piece of deduction."
Sonia grinned happily. "Well thank you, thanks a lot. Ah. Thank you," Said to the waitress who arrived with the drinks.
"You on a trip are you?" she toasted Sally with her glass. "Over to see the young country?"
Sally shook her head. "No, I came over to meet some net friends, and well it has been a bittie odd. Some good stuff and some not so.. "
Sonia looked deeply impressed. ""Hell, all this way just to meet some internet folks? Wow. That's so brave. I mean I have friends all over but I never thought enough of them to go intercontinental visiting."
Sally grinned back at her. "Well, now I might agree with you. This has been a bit of a disaster."
"Oh, now hon, how come? Sonia was disconcerted. She had no wish to get involved but her curiosity prompted her to inquire. Lizzie hissed, feeling the emotions.
"Oh just the usual a lying man, what else. He seemed so lovely and turned out to be a rat. Oh, all this way for nothing." She sniffed.
"There's no shortage of those for sure honey is there?"
"No, there are more than enough to go round. I've had more than my fair share I can tell you and this kissing frogs thing is just male propaganda let me tell you."
Giggling Sonia nodded agreement. "For sure hon, for sure. So your guys are as bad as ours huh?"
"Seemingly yes."
"Men, who needs them," she sighed. "What do you do like for a job. Must be a good one to come this far."
"I write about travel and illustrate my own work you know for magazines and stuff. Which is why I was tempted to come this far as I thought I could mix some pleasure and business, but so far it's neither."