Leaving the Flamingo, Bill continued down the street and couldn�t stop himself from noticing the ravishing young girl waiting for the light at the pedestrian crossing to change. Something was very familiar about her, but Bill couldn�t put his finger on it.

�Don�t I know you from somewhere?� he found himself asking before he had fully deliberated his intention.

�Yes, you do�� she replied, leaving Bill surprised by her overly friendly manner. �I�ve seen you at the office��

�That�s it!� exclaimed Bill, instantly realizing that they worked in the same building.

�I�m Claire� she continued, holding out her hand to Bill. �I started there six weeks ago��

Bill shook her hand, the nagging feelings of wonder having being quelled.

�I�m actually from the East Coast� she informed him. �I moved over here when this position opened up...�

Claire was heading towards Le Café and asked Bill to join her for a cup of coffee.

�Sure, why not�?� answered the distracted Bill and they crossed the street.

�This used to be Lee�s Café� he informed her, giving her an unscheduled tour of the town.

�Oh, so you knew the previous owner� she remarked enthralled.

�No,� clarified Bill �The old sign used to read �Lee�s Café�, but after it had faded all you could see was �Le Café� � so when they replaced it with the new one, they chose to keep the name. Everybody knew it as Le Café by the then��

�Interesting �� remarked Claire, �let�s go and sit by that table at the window��

When Bill opted for a mug of beer, Claire cancelled her coffee order and had the waitress bring her a glass of red wine instead. The waitress returned soon thereafter to enquire if they would be having a second round of drinks.

�Oh, please don�t go so soon�� pleaded Claire, realizing Bill was getting up to leave. �I haven't had a chance to make any friends around here yet��

Ordinarily, Bill would have sidestepped this laborious babysitting duty. But Claire was lively and he liked this about her. Her sweet request along the fact that he was enjoying the good conversation made Bill realize that good conversation was one of the things lacking in his mundane existence at present.