The Cosmos Cafe in Charlotte

It was almost like an alien abduction. Soon after we climbed in our car and headed down the road we were enveloped in a blinding fog of rain and water that was swirled up from the highway by great interstate trucks and we disappeared all together in that collegially blinding mist. Later we arrived in a great city, prowled through streets that cowered under towering buildings and hesitatingly entered into a great interstellar space ship filled with parked cars and which bore the military-like name “The Standard Garage”. We carefully drove our car through slaloms of menacing-looking posts until we found a vacant parking spot.

Then - on to the “Cosmos Cafe” which was almost next door, where we picked out our meal for the evening. Lentil soup sounded prosaic enough until it arrived. Wow - what a melange of flavors! Tasty, with melted cheese, sparkling with fresh herbs and still husky croutons. We let the soup find its own level in our bodies with our eyes respectfully lowered to half-mast. Since we were in a hurry to catch our show at the nearby Belk Playhouse, we shared an Atlas pizza, and enjoyed that with a couple of draft Stella Artois. The pizza was almost TOO good. It featured two very thin crusts with a layer of mozzarella cheese between, then it was covered with tomato stuff and other cheeses. Gooomphg - wonderful. The melted mozzarella was tricky to deal with at first - we looked like we were doing a form of tabletop tai-chi as we dealt with the teasing ribbons of delicious cheese. Then on, through the rain again, now under umbrellas, off to the see the Complete Works of Shakespeare (Reduced). It was a good show and we enjoyed it - except for the lead into the intermission which seemed out of character with the pace that had been set up until then.

Back again to the space station which was still filled with dripping cars to redeem our own, then one more time back out onto the dark misty road, now headed home. We were happy, well-fed, content, enlightened, and waved good night to Charlotte, eagerly looking forward to our next encounter.