Everyone has known all day that it would rain… It seems the entire Saturday afternoon has been spent in lazy anticipation of the storm… The morning opened with fog and clouds over the lake – pleasantly cool but some sun in the morning – and gradually the gray has consolidated and darkened over the course of day.
I stare at the white dot of condensed milk in the foam of my unstirred nâu đá, and watch the entire street rush to clear the chairs from the lakeside sidewalk as the first drops come in… I’m opting for a passive waiting, along with the rest of the customers at 68 Trấn Vũ, but I am a bit more uneasy than some – I have to bike home in an hour, and if its heavy, it could be an adventure…. How long to wait… When is it imprudent to remain… I stare at the neon green of the cafe’s color scheme reflected in the metallic frame of my laptop screen, and wonder if the caffeine jitters will take the rest of the anxiety away.
Scooters rush by with what seems like increasing speed – cautious ones with ponchos already donned and lights blazing – more careless leaning on the horn, sans helmet with blinker going, speeding to get home before it gets bad.
The first sip of coffee is perfect, as always. I don’t think its any different than any of the other lakeside places, but it hits the sweet spot of balance between condensed milk and bitter coffee.
A few tables reappear across the street under a tree as the neighboring cafe decides to risk it. Now, as afternoon progresses into evening, the cafe turns on its led projection system so that passing bàs, umbrellas tucked under arms, are illuminated with dancing points of bright red and green light. The odd disco flashes illuminate young men lounging on bikes and chairs, silhouetted against the lakeside greenery giving the scene a typically eclectic Hanoi feel.
caphehanoi 