Following the American tradition of guaranteeing a friend a strong drink at midnight on the eve of his or her birthday, I searched out a special treat for Delaney, an Italian specialty as she insisted.  I made my way to town to begin my mission and noticed a lone bar tender, hair loosely pulled back in a relaxed, white button-down.  He was the man to talk to.

“Uhh, Mi chiamo Amy, c’est, uh,” I said as I pointed to the birthday girl, “compleanno.”

He understood. Step one accomplished.  I continued to speak in a mixture of Italian, French, and English,  saying “Una speciale Italiano,” as I performed the universal drinking motion.  Now he was on board.

Unfortunately, there was confusion surrounding the concept of the drink being an Italian special, but he understood she wanted something celebratory.  We threw out a few names of liquor back and forth until somehow we decided on a tequila shot with salt and lemon.

He graciously handed me the shot and accompanying supplies, along with another gin and tonic for me.  Then he offered another universal gesture that told me “it’s on the house.”  I eagerly and gratefully accepted.  He then pointed to his cheek and pursed his lips, clearly asking for a kiss.  I gave the very casual side cheek kiss paired with an audio simulation of what he wanted.  I now had a new acquaintance.

Delaney was initially surprised by all of this interaction, but in the spirit of the moment and as the center of all our attention, she took it in stride.  Although we are a group of new friends, having met only the week before, the emphasis we placed on her special day made it seem as if  we had known each other for a much longer time.