You continue to reread the same page you've been reading for twenty minutes. This book may or may not be good, you haven't been paying much attention to it. In fact, you're missed key details, so now the reveal in the final act won't make much sense to you. Once you're done, you'll swap it with something you find on a shelf. Sometimes you trade up, sometimes you trade down. You're going to power through this one and hopefully trade up in a day or two. If you can finish the page you've been reading.

It's been a week since you've talked to anyone. Like, you've interacted a few times. Asked for directions, checked in, ordered food. But mostly, you're watching the people around you, not sure how to start a conversation. The conversations you hear are pedestrian. That's the word you've settled on to describe them—pedestrian. People ask each other where they're from and where they're going next. It's an icebreaker, you acknowledge, but some people give too many details.  

You've been drinking a lot. Most nights. Most days even. Something to keep you occupied. You bought a pouch of tobacco so you'd have something to do with your hands. It keeps you from drinking so quickly, too. You can roll a cigarette better now than you could before. You're vaguely proud of this. Your parents would not be.

You've seen attractive people you want to talk to, but you don't know what to say. You've made a few attemps, but you feel stupid and their English isn't too good anyhow.

You think about ordering another coffee, but that would be your fourth today. Even three upsets your stomach. But you've been sitting here long enough you should probably order something. Especially since you're going to have another cigarette. People around you are drinking beer, so you decide it's not too early.

Some of the photos you've taken are pretty good. You'll show them to your friends and tell them about your trip, but you'll move quickly through this section. You light your cigarette and philosophize about chance and its effect on your impression of a place. You decide much of it is chance. You might have loved this city and recommended it to friends.

Someone attractive smiles in your direction and you make a half-smile back before you realize they were looking at someone else. You console yourself with the thought that they probably don't speak English well anyway.