Bread and circus

(Note: the characters are Arnold, Bea, Christa, DJ, and Estella)

Arnold stood in front of the six-seater table in the terrace of that fancy restaurant, one he had never been to, but which his best friend Mark had claimed to like.

In the table, there were three empty seats- and three taken by unfamiliar faces. Mark had warned him about the other four people going to dinner with them, but, as expectable from him, he had done it when Arnold had already agreed to go, knowing he would otherwise refuse. 

Arnold sighed, he now didn’t have any other option, so he approached the table that was definitely the one Mark had given him instructions to sit at. 

“At least they are some punctual people,” he thought. He was arriving just in time, and for the tone their conversation had he deduced the other three persons had been there for a while already. 

On the other hand, Mark hadn’t arrived. He wasn’t surprised though, and he shook his head at his friend’s bad habit, taking some more steps towards the table. 

He drew a chair, the one that wasn’t next to anyone in the round table, and sat on it without prior notice or greetings. 

The action surprised the other man and two women, who made a halt on their chat to turn to the new man. 

“Care to introduce yourself?” Bea, a brunette of determined expression, was the one to take the floor, as usual from her. 

“Sorry, I did not want to interrupt your conversation, you seemed really into it. My name is Arnold,” he replied. However, not only the excuse was known to be just that, an excuse, for their conversation was everything but lively, but the polite smile he put on his face was intendedly obviously fake, which took the rest of the people aback and caused a frown on Bea.

The rest of them hadn’t exactly hit it off, but they didn’t want some impertinent stranger to ruin their night. Still, it was better to ignore him or try to relax the ambient rather than jump at him with an aggressive response, and, knowing that was what Bea was about to do, Christa decided to cut her and speak up next. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Christa,” she introduced herself, somewhat surprising Arnold. “Nice to meet you too,” he replied, his expectations of starting a fight fading.

“I’m Bea,” the other girl said, leaning back on her chair and dropping too her arguing intention.

“I’m DJ.” Everyone turned at the shy voice of the fourth person at the table, who Arnold had noticed but hadn’t paid attention to. 

All the gazes on him made the raven-haired man somewhat nervous, and he looked away, peeking over the two empty chairs. He wondered how the guest that was missing was, but he knew one of the seats was for his friend Joe, and he wished he would arrive already. He couldn’t just drag him out of his house for what he suggested to be a two people dinner and then leave him there with a bunch of strangers, he could have at least made an effort to be early for once.

“Good night guys!” 

Arnold and DJ, who were the ones not facing the arriving person, turned around. Both hoping to find Mark and Joe respectively, and both’s hopes sinking the moment their eyes landed on the chubby girl of big eyes and tied-up brown hair. 

The ones sitting on the table looked at each other, but, seeing none of them knew the girl already, Bea proceeded to introduce herself once more. 

“Good night, I’m Bea,” she said with a smile she was beginning to need to fake.

“I’m Estella!” the other girl answered, beaming as she sat down between Bea and Arnold, and having the rest of the people say their names yet again. 

“So, what were you talking about?” she then asked. The rest shared a look until the amber-eyed male, Arnold, spoke. 

“Nothing really. Care to take by you the task of starting a conversation?” he said, causing a wider smile on the energetic girl, as he looked over her discreetly, analyzing her sportive clothes, ringed finger, and made-up face.

“Fair enough!” she chuckled, leaving her handbag on a side of the chair before turning again to the rest of the people, “well, I’d kinda like to know y’all better, did some of you know each other already?”

“No, I believe,” Arnold answered. Having seen them interact with each other was enough to know this with certainty without asking.

“Then why don’t we play something, like saying one thing we like and one we dislike, to know each other better?” she suggested. The idea didn’t light anyone’s face though.

The lack of enthusiasm was obvious, but only Arnold decided to say something, not stopping to think about politeness as the other three. “We are not kindergarten students on our first day of school. That’s not the best way to know each other.”

Even if most of them thanked it, the comment offended Estella, “well, you are the one that asked me to start a conversation,” she replied, crossing her arms and somewhat losing her good intention.

“Right, my fault,” he said, rolling his eyes and deepening her frown.

“Then according to you what’s the best way to get to know someone if I may ask?” this time was Bea the one to talk, who was honestly getting annoyed by this man.

“Through observation of course.”

“Oh yeah? And if you are so-” Bea toughened her expression, ready to throw hands at him, but at that moment a slim brunette who worked there as a waiter interrupted them. 

“Excuse me, would you like me to take your order already?” he asked. The question seemed to please everyone, who were already starting to get hungry, and they let their conversation fade to give their attention to the boy.

“Please,” Christa smiled. 

The ones who hadn’t decided yet, Bea and Estella, took a look at the menu and were quick to choose.

“I’ll have the greek salad,” “A steak for me please,” “I’d like the vegan pizza,” “I’d like the bass in lemon sauce, please,” “A special burger here!” they all said after ordering a round of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. 

“Maybe we should order some appetizers,” Estella suggested. 

“Okay, just ask for one of Rissoles,” Bea said for the waiter to take note of. 

“Make it two!” Estella added before the boy left, and they turned again to one another.

An awkward silence crept in, and they all looked at the still empty chair as if moved by the same threads. 

“Mark, you’ll see when you arrive,”

“Tyler, where the hell are you?”

“It’s a shame Luca couldn’t make it at the last moment, he left me here alone,”

“Oh Joe, why would you do this to me, you just had to set an alarm, it’s not that difficult,”

“Claudia, really? leaving me here alone to date some man you just met? Think about me!”

If you hadn’t guessed it, they had all been obliviously led into a trap.

Estella turned again and faked his signature smile, “I’ve never been to this restaurant, have you?” she asked, earning a unanimous “No,” but managing to break the silence.

“I think it will be fine, it smells good,” she continued.

Most of them nodded, but it wasn’t Arnold’s style to agree. “That’s objective,” he replied instead.

Estella took another sniff of the air, it was such a pleasant scent of mixed foods. She could at least identify honey, pesto, and well-done bbq. “It isn’t really. You don’t like the smell?” she inquired, confused.

The man raised his eyebrows and leaned back, “I do, but someone may not.”

The remark seemed foolish to everyone, and of course, Bea wasn’t going to pass that opportunity to pick up a fight with someone he hated.

“Are those kinds of comments really necessary?”

“If we are talking about necessity, nothing of this is necessary, having come here, talking at all, ordering food...” Arnold enlisted, motioning with his hand in a way that would have been eloquent if it wasn’t for his prepotent tone.

“Ordering food is necessary,” Estella attempted a retort. 

The jet-black-haired man rolled his eyes once again but continued with the quarrel. “Not if it’s vegan food,” he replied, looking at Christa sharply and forcing her to take part in the discussion even if she didn’t want to. “Hey, you have no right”

“He’s kinda right though…” this time was Estella the one to talk, not with the intention of switching sides but probably just wanting to argue. 

However, as timely as the last time, the waiter arrived at the table with the appetizers and a polite smile. “Here you are,” he said placing them on the table.

The six persons stayed with their gazes on the food for some seconds as the waiter left, forgetting about their conversation and reaching out a hand to take each one terrific-smelling rissole. 

There had been around fifteen minutes since they had ordered and the hunger was starting to get to their nerves so the tasty starter fit well their empty stomachs. 

It was only when they had all finished their first croquette that Bea spoke again.

“But, are you vegan?” she asked the girl on her side as she took another rissole, blew to cool it, and shoved it into her mouth.

“Yeah, I believe it’s healthy, it goes fine for me,” the blond explained. 

“It may be, I might try it too,” Estella claimed in her usual vivid tone.

“You won’t,” Arnold chuckled, shaking his head. Although they barely knew the girl, anyone could have told this.

The comment made her laugh too, “No, I probably won’t.”

“It’s something popular lately, isn’t it? Most of my coworkers follow that diet,” Arnold continued, turning back to Christa. 

But instead of letting the blond answer, Bea’s curiosity spoke up, “Where do you work at?”

The waiter returned at that moment with some of the main dishes, and with the ones left just a few minutes after. 

“I’m a journalist,” Arnold responded calmly. 

“That’s cool,” Bea said, raising her gaze to the stary sky before placing it back on the man and leaning on the table to whisper, “I bet you can sneak us some information. Of the upcoming elections? maybe?”

Arnold smirked, “Niceto will win, of course, but if you are asking for facts and not for my opinion, I don’t have any, not yet.”

“I know you just don’t want to tell us,” she replied friendly, “If not you wouldn’t make such a stupid statement.”

The journalist sniggered at the accusation, which may or may not be right, and at the woman’s opinion. “You don’t think he’ll win?”

“Of course not, everyone knows Gauso is the favorite,” she replied, actually having thought the other was joking with his statement. 

“That’s just what the media wants you to think,” he said shaking his head. 

“Is it?” Christa asked surprised.

“But Niceto doesn’t seem like a good candidate either, he doesn’t seem what you would call ethical,” Estella intervened.

“I think it seems like they do it all undercover, but that they are actually honest,” DJ replied after having hesitated if doing so. But, being politics a subject he had good knowledge about, he felt the need to join.

“Not showing things imply they are bad,” Bea responded frowning. 

“I don’t think that’s true. It may mean they are not show-offs,” DJ continued, saying it with security but regretting it quickly, scared of having chosen a wrong or offensive phrasing, which he hadn’t. Arnold smirked at the man’s actions, sympathizing with him and getting the impression he knew what he was talking about, which made them similar. 

“Maybe. But in the end, who would you rather vote?” Bea reflected, taking both back to the conversation.

But instead of them, Estella answered, not wanting to be left out of the conversation, “I mean, even if they told I wouldn’t pay attention, so I don’t mind that much.”

This made the rest of the table laugh lightly. “You’ve got a point I guess,” Arnold replied having a fork of spinach driven into his mouth, which somewhat put a period to that conversation. 

Estella and Christa didn’t understand much about politics, but they did have an opinion about society, so they drove that way the chat. Arnold, as always, contributing to coming up with the controversial topic. 

“People just follow and fake. I only know one genuinely good person, and that’s my friend Mark,” Arnold had stated, showing himself surprised when no one seemed to know the name and wondering why they had been invited then.

“I think society is sometimes good too, even if just sometimes,” the forgiving Christa had said, having a contrary conception. 

However, it was just one more cliche topic that was only interesting for them being strangers and for their now merry mood, which made any joke a good, laughable joke.

They also ordered some desserts and had their conversation lose its rhythm, but not its spirit. 

“We bore you?” Arnold asked the other man at the table when he saw him yawn covering his mouth. Besides, DJ had barely made any contribution for the last hour, having preferred to listen to the different opinions and get at times lost in his own thoughts rather than holding a chat with the rest. For this, he gave the impression of being bored, even if Arnold, who just wanted to get him to speak, knew this wasn’t the case.

This took the distracted DJ aback, “Not at all, sorry, I just didn’t sleep that well,” he apologized. 

“I know what you mean, I’m feeling somewhat tired too,” the other answered, letting his head fall backward.

The comments made Bea frown in wonder and take out her phone, “No wonder why, it’s already half-past eleven.”

“Is it?” Christa replied surprised. 

“Yep, it seems earlier, doesn’t it? As it gets dark so early now in summer…” the woman continued, taking a sip from her decaffeinated coffee after putting her phone back on her handbag.

“Yeah, and with this warm weather I would have easily stayed here some more hours if you hadn’t said anything,” the blond laughed softly. 

“Scrumptious food and great company? I would have too!” Estella beamed as she put an end to the cheesecake she had ordered. 

“Then allow me to suggest meeting somewhen else, here again maybe?” Arnold said, triggering a common smile. “Count on me.”