Anti-Stall

Peanut butter and Jelly.

Baku, Azerbaijan

Erica took me through the streets which would soon become the circuit for the race this weekend, the streets were wide and the buildings around it were scenic.

 
I had only seen Baku on TV and walking down its streets filled me with joy. I love my job, I get to see the world! I walked around the streets looking at the buildings and asking Erica if she knew their significance. 

"I have a little surprise for you, come with me!" She said holding my hand, leading me to a street.

"Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise! I asked your pops he said you'll like it a lot." She beamed. 

She called a taxi and made me sit in it while she gave some instructions to driver while I sat in the back like an obedient little child. She sat down next to me and gave me an assuring smile.

"Seriously Erica where are we going?"

"You'll thank me once we get there." She winked.

I crossed my arms and let out a sigh. Why can't she just tell me!? What was she plotting this time? In a matter of few minutes we were at her "surprise" location.

"Okay Erica, what is this place?" I asked

"Read the sign on the building dummy!" She laughed.

I turned around to read the sign:
HARD ROCK CAFE

I let out a little squeal, I loved this place! They had good food and incredible artists came to perform live. Pops and I would go there almost every weekend when he wanted to eat good onion rings and have a beer. We may have moved to London for his work but the American in him was far from gone.

"What are we waiting for! Let's go in!" I smiled.

She laughed and took a picture of me, I asked her why she took the picture.

"Simply, I want to make a scrapbook of Happy Nat." She answered.

On entering the place, the atmosphere had completely changed. Our voices were drowned by the music, a local band was playing their tunes and it was sick! Everyone in the vicinity were joyful, praising the band enjoying the music.

While walking to our table, the band started playing a familiar song by the Arctic Monkeys.

"Why'd you only call me when you're high?
Why'd you only call me when you're
Hi, why'd you only call me when you're high?"

I started singing along and lost track of where Erica had walked off to, I started looking around for her when I suddenly heard someone call my name. I looked in the direction of where I think it was coming from but couldn't find anyone until someone started yelling and frantically waving their arms.

I squinted and started walking in that direction hoping that it was someone Erica knew and had invited to have lunch with us.

It was Charles! He was sitting with three other people whose faces I couldn't see very clearly.

"Natalie! Hi! Pleasant seeing you here!"

"Hey! I didn't know I was going to be here, Erica surprised me. Now I can't find her."

"Really? Why don't both of you join us! I'll help you look for her." He smiled.

"Really!? You're an absolute angel!" I beamed before giving him a hug.

We both found Erica who was walking around equally lost, she was relieved on seeing us and followed us to the table.

On being seated I could see all of them clearly, Charles was with Pierre, Lance and Callum. I recognised Callum from the time we hung out at the country club. Lance and Pierre both gave me a polite smile.

"Hello Natalie! We meet again! How have you been?" Callum asked.

"I've been great! We actually meet every weekend you just don't realise." I laughed.

"We should order, everyone is hungry no?" Pierre enquired.

"I'm famished!" Erica sighed dramatically.

All of us scanned the menu and started ordering what we wanted when suddenly Lance called a server.

"Hey there! I know this is off the menu but I'm really craving this can you just ask the kitchen if they could make it?"

"What would that be sir?"

" a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." He grinned.

Everyone on the table looked disgusted, I for one was offended. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have been a staple for me as long as I could remember.

"What? Why's everyone looking at him like that? PB and J is top tier. I'll have one too if you serve them." I spoke up.

Lance's eyes lit up! He gave me the cheekiest grin ever, we made eye contact and burst laughing. The others on the table were visibly confused, to our disappointment the server said they couldn't make us PB and J sandwiches.

"I'm holding back on so much judgement right now." Callum revealed.

"Is it some American thing? To love such strange food?" Pierre teased us.

"For starters, I'm Canadian!" Lance exclaimed.

Erica was once again swigging down beers while a heated discussion about whether peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are considered food or not continued.

Lance and I were passionately defending the sandwich while Callum and Pierre continued calling it disgusting. Charles and Erica continued laughing at our fight and calling us children.

"You know what? Forget it Natalie they don't understand what they're missing out on." Lance quipped.

"Y'all are going to regret calling it disgusting but I still want to eat one."

"Me too! I'm craving one so badly, it's comfort food." Lance replied.

"It's not some sort of cuisine, you can literally make it in your hotel rooms!" Callum sighed.

That's when I had an incredible idea, we could literally buy everything you need for a PB and J sandwich form a supermarket. I looked at Lance whose mind also looked like it had been racing at a million miles per hour.

"Eureka!" We chimed in unison.

"I'll get the supplies, we can make our own sandwiches!" I smiled.

"Dinner picnic! I'll text you the address arrive with the sandwiches." Lance beamed, "you sandwich hating snobs can come too and invite whoever you want." 

All of us let out a little giggle at his passion for the sandwiches. After lunch, Lance and I exchanged numbers.

"So that's what a guy's gotta do to get her number, be passionate about sandwiches." Callum joked.

Erica and I waved goodbye to the boys and walked back to the town square. We looked for a supermarket and popped in to buy loaves of bread, jars of peanut butter and grape jelly.

For some reason Erica kept grinning at me, I asked her why she was being so weird.
She replied, "Yet again, Natalie finds herself in a sea of hot boys."