Prologue 1.3

While, without question, fascinating in it’s character, (both physical and otherwise) and, at times perplexing in purpose, (beyond the obvious, but before the mysterious), the history of the Six Sentence Café & Bistro contains the deepest of secrets and, paradoxically, the most useful of insights into the ways of those who feel the need for a little escape.

That the most obvious quirk about this establishment, it’s non-specific locality (NSL), seems to trouble people the least is telling. Of the people, not the establishment. The old saying, fundamental as a pronoun, is: behind every professed certainty is a desire for ambiguity.

Any good mystery, whether a thing’s origin, an individual’s motivation or an institution’s history, will always present as a clear example of the second-most pervasive of insight into the character of humanity. This insight is expressed in practical terms as the sales technique commonly referred to as, ‘take-away’.

This most simple and effective tactic is comprised of two steps: Convince as person that you have something ‘Everyone wants this’ and, then, tell them they can’t have it.

The Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro is predicated on the opposite of underlying principle the strategy of take-away. It’s attraction begins with suggesting (to a person) there is a place where others are special and, then, leaves it to them to find it.

Despite the endless arguments, sacred and profane, down through the ages regarding the origin of human culture down through the Ages, the beginning of human culture is a surprisingly simple point in time to identify: the moment there were three people in the world.

The Six Sentence Café & Bistro, (and it’s countless manifestations throughout history and on every continent), was the third new thing to come into being. As impressive as this insight may sound, even more so is: it came into existence the day (and night) after there came to be three people in the world.

Any city. Any town.

The price of admission is intangible, immanent and non-negotiable.

Chapter Two

‘Do What Thou Wilt shall be the Whole of the Law’

The glow of the dying embers in the fireplace didn’t even try to audition for the role of sunrise as the tall, thin man opened his eyes.

The plaque over the mantle, always possessed of an innate irony, withheld judgement, comment or congratulations.

The decision was made to sit upright, in no small part due to the message that a new day was beginning at least according to the Piaget on his wrist. Always fond of the watch, it was immediately upstaged by the excessive amount of flesh in view. As if cued by a subconscious special effects department, the sound of an unclothed back and shoulders saying goodbye to the leather of the sofa made clear that modern effects had nothing on the natural ones.

Adrenalin, the body’s fire alarm, brought the man to his feet. They were as naked as the rest of him, but, given their normally workmanlike disposition, they refrained on commenting.

Ignoring the purple snatches of random lingerie that, at another time or day and with sufficient caffeine levels, would warrant a compliment on how they offset the deep brown leather, a band of blue ink across his chest just below his line of sight, brought a sense of mission.

Standing in the bathroom that was just further down to the right of the living area, the tall, thin man considered his reflection the in full length mirror to the left of the Art Deco porcelin sink. A quick and cursory account of body parts freed him to read the writing that started at his right shoulder and ended at his left. Care had clearly been taken in writing backwards, complete with a moderate slant of the letters, indicating, the annoying part of his mind chimed in, a right-handed woman. The even more annoying part of his mind, picking it’s opportunity with the care of a surgeon during elective brain surgery, added, “You’re hoping.”

“Thank you for a funky time. Call me up whenever you want to…”*

The smile growing on the face in the mirror was one third old man and one half teenage boy.

There was a knock at the door marked: ‘MANAGER’

 

[‘Darling Nikki’ Prince 1984]

Prologue

Our tale begins with the most malleable of permanencies, (a) dictionary definition of a word. Who can deny the premise that reality is personal and variable? Times change, cultures grow and civilizations thrive, supported by the warp and woof of history aka language and religion.

*****

Café (kæˈfeɪ, kə-)
n., pl. -fés or -fes.

1. a restaurant, often with an enclosed or outdoor section extending onto the sidewalk.

2. a restaurant, usu. small and unpretentious.

3. a barroom, cabaret, or nightclub.

Bistro
n., pl. -tros.

1. a small, modest, European-style restaurant or café.

2. a small nightclub or bar

*****

The Six Sentence Café & Bistro can be found, for the purposes of our story, in a brick building on a small road off a minor thoroughfare embedded in the interior of a major city. It’s clientele exhibits a range of variety traits, strengths, weakness and passion possible only in a species that has not only developed self-awareness, but has managed to weaponize it. Those successful in finding the Bistro travel all walks of life, culture, ages and gender identification. And, by way of a courtesy warning to the first-time Reader, one’s era of origin is not a limiting function for admission to the establishment. Benefitting from the unlimited capacity of the virtual world to create a niché for every/anyone, the Café is always accommodating, though, not necessarily in simpatico of all who walk through its door.

Hey! You wanna read something fun? How about a serial story from the minds of seven (or more) writers, each storyline different, save for the sole unifying fact of location, the aforementioned Café.

Just to maintain some semblance of mainstream serial fiction, you will read, from time-to-time, in forwards and preludes to chapters, the occasional reference to the Proprietors. These are the writers of this serial: Nick, Denise, Chris, Ford, Mimi and Jenne. There will be others as time and following may provide.

Welcome to the Six Sentence Café & Bistro.