An Afternoon Coffee

The sweet ladies invited my silly dog to join us for an afternoon coffee, and left it to me to pick the venue. The girlfriends didn’t mind sitting outdoors at all. I was super appreciative of that. Sitting outdoors for me is a regular occurrence now. I've learnt to bear with the humidity because of the dog, but I certainly don't expect friends to do the same. What's more, meeting me doesn't mean that the dog has to come along. It isn't a child, she can stay at home. Separation anxiety issues haven't crept in for this dog yet. Her neuroses stem from other sources. 

[As of September 2020, the restaurant is now known as The Dempsey Project.]

Jones the Grocer at Dempsey it was. It was a convenient location for all of us, and ideal for Choya. Plus its sheltered outdoor area meant that humans and dog would be dry if the rains pelted down. We weren’t keen on food because we all had lunch. Ordered light bites to share, coffee for them, and a huge smoothie for me. I already had two cups of coffee in the morning and didn’t feel like having more caffeine. Glad it was a cool day. The many ceiling fans ensured some sort of warm breeze passing through to take away a bit of the humidity. It was such a lovely time catching up with the girlfriends. We hadn’t met face-to-face for months. This coffee date was wayyyyy overdue. 

I wasn’t sure if the dog had gotten over her recently acquired anxiety of being in enclosed restaurants, and occasionally in the night when she detects a drizzle, and that lasts for a while. (Trembling during a thunderstorm is a given.) Neurotic dog is neurotic. It would take some time for us to recalibrate reassurances, and it would require a lot work to begin acclimatizing her anew to things that aren't terrifying but she thinks it is.

We were still at home when the rains came in heavy for a short while. She wasn’t trembling too badly then. The rain stopped just before we got to Dempsey. She was happy to go play in wet grass and had no issues with peeing. Today, the dog was fine at our table! She laid down to check out the surroundings, then shifted nearer to my chair, found a spot between the chair legs and the wall, and snoozed. 

I might be imagining it, but Choya gave me loads of smiles today. She seemed all chuffed and smug that she got to be part of this afternoon’s date. Heh. After sending the photos out from our phones, the girlfriends were upset that we took so many humans photos, but none with Choya. Hahaha. I didn't even notice, tbh. The dog was merrily snoozing at my feet. We make another date then!