a birthday dinner gone bad (lyn)

I am the first one to arrive at Beyoglu, a smallish Turkish restaurant not far from my apartment.  Even at 8pm on a miserable rainy night, the restaurant is packed and loud.  I arrive starving which is never a good thing.  Before the night begins, and so we don’t forget, we take a group photo.  Everyone is smiling and here to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

We start with an appetizer of hummus and some Turkish bread.  All but one skip the alcohol and settle on water.  I order lamb chops with white rice pilaf and some onions and carrots (which pretty much go uneaten).  The conversation is on par with the food…interesting and plentiful. 

But somewhere along the way things go astray, and well, the night takes a turn.  Without going into details (think Vegas), suffice it say, that before the night ends,

• I order a glass of wine around 11, because I really need a drink…maybe for the first time ever.
• Feelings are hurt (including mine).
• And one fragile friendship (not mine) appears to end.

We leave around midnight, as the wait staff stands around anxious to go home.  All other tables in this once-busy restaurant are empty. It’s been a memorable night, but for all the wrong reasons.