SugarCOAT

30. The Man 💪

A.B. advised me to wear my swimsuit under my clothes. After his meeting, we were planning to go to the beach.

It was about a ten minute walk from the small beach house to the shops and restaurants. For a Monday, there were more people out than I expected. At one restaurant, there was music blasting and people dancing and eating.

"That's Noon to Midnight, and that's there hours every day," A.B. informed me.

"Is the food good?" I asked him.

"It's okay. People go there to hangout, mostly."

Next to it was a surfboard store that also had some skates and skateboards for sell. There were yellow smiley faces on just about everything.

"You can rent surfboards and skates from there from 1 to 4 hours or you can buy them. The owners are really cool - a grandfather, a father, and his two sons."

"Smiley?" I read the name of the store.

"That's their last name," A.B. informed me.

The next store was a clothing store. From the window, I saw a lot of beachwear. Looked like souvenirs were sold there, too. I'll definitely have to go back to get something for my parents.

A.B. said, "This store and the grocery store are my favorites. The grocery store is more so in the neighborhood, not near the beach, but it's big. This store is My Happy Store." A.B. smiled at me.

"What about it makes you happy?" I inquired.

He pointed at the sign above the store that read: My Happy Store.

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Are all these stores and restaurants so literal?"

A.B. said, "You'll get it when we're on the beach at around 4:30 p.m."

We continued to walk and passed by a small gated play ground. There where a few parents and children there. The kid in me was eyeing the seesaw and swings. I haven't got on those in years.

A.B. continued to guide me on the short tour. "At night, the adults go to the playground. I've seen people in their 60s jump off the swings like they had no bones to break."

This place is sounding more and more unbelievable. Finally, we made it to the coffee shop. And what was it called? Just guess... Mmm-hmm. Internet & Coffee. The logo was a coffee mug with the WiFi symbol above it.

A.B. opened the door for me, and the smell of coffee hit my nose pleasantly. I walked inside to see several people sitting in front of their laptops. I quickly turned to A.B. "I think you forgot something."

He took his phone out of his pocket. "This is all I need."

I shrugged as we got in line. 

"Do you drink coffee?" A.B. asked me.

"I'm not really a big coffee drinker, but I'll drink it with cream and sugar. Heavy on the cream."

A.B. pointed at the menu that hung from the ceiling. "Then, you might like iced coffee. They have different flavors, and you can combine them, too."

"I do like iced coffee. I'll get that. What are you getting?" I looked at him.

A.B. put his hands in his pockets. "I might get a tea or lemonade with fruit in it."

I don't know what facial expression I made, but A.B.'s eyes were in between apologetic and surprise. "What?" I asked him.

"You looked disappointed. Do you not like fruit in lemonade?"