Returning to mate

“Te ves un poco mas flaco” said my friend as he poured me another cup of mate. “Mejor no flaco si no mas….ligero”.  

The accent hits me like a train going a thousand miles per hour.  The smell of warm humid air touches my skin. The loud conversations surround me as I step outside to grab a cab.  I haggle over a cab fare and jump on.  I discuss politics with the cab driver and the current financial hardship plaguing the country.  I have arrived in Buenos Aires. 

It has been over a year since I last came here and somehow this time I feel as though I am stepping into this city for the first time again.  Having lost a relationship in this city, I wondered what this experience would be like.  Would I miss my ex? Would seeing things that we once shared bring back memories of our time here?  

I take a sip of my mate….”Si, me ciento diferente y listo para crear una nueva experiencia en esta ciudad…”

The mate tastes the same.