Maria Alban

The Stranger

The Stranger The atmosphere of the local surf-and-turf was perhaps not the most romantic setting for an important milestone. It was a warm crowded restaurant near the sea. The lighting was dim enough to hide the fact that most of the place hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned by the minimum wage staff who wore painfully forced smiles. The air was filled with cigarette smoke with a hint of fishiness. It was often crowded on the weekends, usually by footballers going in for a cheap pint, birthday celebrations, bachelorette parties, or cheap first dates which subsequently became last dates too.