Mikiatures 10 - I Want It All

I Want It All
It was an agonising decision. White coffee and croissant? Or red wine and tapa? The green tea didn’t stand a chance. Alas, Mick’s British upbringing hadn’t prepared him for choices like these; well, not at 11.30 in the morning. But this was sunny Spain, where anything was possible with a little imagination.
            As the barmaid approached, Mick started to panic. That was when the police arrived.
            ‘Dos con leche.’
            Two white coffees. No need to say ‘please’ or ‘thankyou’. Especially if you were carrying a gun.
            As the barmaid tended to the policemen, Mick felt a flash of inspiration.
            ‘Coffee and croissant, please.’
            Yes, I know I said you don’t have to say ‘please’, but old habits die hard.
            ‘Gracias. How much is that?’
            Another great thing about Spanish bars is it’s up to the customer to decide when, or indeed whether, to pay.
 
Mick sat out on the terrace, slurping his coffee and scoffing his croissant in the scorching sun. He jotted down a few lines, glanced at his watch – Midday already? – and ambled back into the bar.
            ‘Red wine, please. Oh, they look nice!’
            So, who was it who said, “You can’t have your cake and eat it”?