Recovering Operation

[If you're new to the blog, read this first for context]

It took two days to assemble a recovering operation team. My original crew of three - Dru, Andres, and I - was whittled down to two when my own private D-Day came. Khaki's ironed, shirt tucked in. Check. No stains from lunch. Check. Hair combed... nevermind. Count my yuan; there's not a lot, Beijing was expensive, but I can pull off going out one night this week if I eat street food till Tuesday's payday.

"Let's do it."

Dru and I ran off for a taxi. I had wisely grabbed a business card with a map on the back from Cozy's during my last visit. I handed it to the cabbie who began yelling at us Chinese. The print was very small. Dru tried reading the street names off, but our pinyin pronuctiations are horrible. The cabbie got out and looked at the card with the his front headlights. More confused yelling. They don't mean to yell.. it's just one of their intonations.

We got out.

"Let's just give up, watch a DVD or something..."

No!," Dru replied. He would prove an excellent wingman all night. "We're gonna get this girls number again for you!"

We tried a second cabbie. Equal confusion, less yelling. He made a hand motion mimicking drinking a beer. "Yes, yes, that place!" He told us the Chinese name and we took off.

We pull past an NSX, the first real sports car I've seen in China, and popped inside. Like most Chinese businesses, inefficiencies are put at the forefront. There are two people to take coats and purses at the top floor - the entrance - with hosts ready with a warm "Hello!" and a seat downstairs. There's a marble spiral staircase that makes it's way downstairs to the dancefloor and tables.

Cozy's would be a classy place if there were almost anyone else but the same Filipino band playing the same American hip-hop covers and oldies every night.

"What's the game plan, man?" Dru asks.

"To make it look as much as possible like we didn't just drive across the city to recover a phone number I lost the same night I got it. I haven't thought it out beyond that."

"True."

I spot her as I come down the spirals and point her out to Dru. She was telling the truth; she works there every night.



Too Be Continued...





Tags: Treyopia China Stories Life TianjinRecovery clubs expat night life