The best social network is a dinner table

Or any table where you can reunite people you love

I remember opening my eyes, feeling lost.

My eyelids opened repeatedly and slowly, struggling against sleep or perhaps the effect of the two glasses of white wine I had just drunk.

It took me a while to recognize the place. I lay on my back, staring at the old white fan fixed to the ceiling, thinking about the dream I had just had.

I heard some vibrant shouting outside. It came from the living room. I wondered what could be happening to spark such energetic cheers.

I got up—or rather, I sat up in bed, and my head hurt a little. They don’t make livers like they used to. I was fine, just a little dizzy. I put on my slippers and headed to the living room.

I greeted everyone with a good afternoon. They all responded, slightly disapproving of my brief two-hour nap in the middle of the day. Actually, they asked if the shouting hadn’t woken me up.

I guess it had, but I was glad to be awake.

It was still five in the afternoon, but since Canada is farther up in the northern hemisphere, nightfall was already creeping in.

I realized the excitement was due to a board game, where each player bets on a kind of camel race—the more money you earn from the bets, the better. It had been a while since I last played. I sat on the couch next to Brad, who asked if I wanted something to drink.

Without hesitation, I asked for a Caesar—a spicier version of a Bloody Mary made with vodka.

Brad is one of the nicest guys I know, the husband of my friend Jessica. In no time, he went downstairs and brought back that cold, spicy drink with a taste reminiscent of salad dressing.

The game had ended, and David and Sandy went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. It would be meat. They’re Brad’s parents and the owners of the lake house.

During dinner, which was absolutely delicious, with perfectly cooked meat, we drank wine and made small talk. We spent quite some time there discussing things like what our last meals would be if we were on death row and what crimes we might have committed.

After dinner, David suggested we go stargazing. Since the lake house is far from the city, it’s perfect for admiring the night sky. Darkness is necessary to see the brilliance of things.

Seeing the Milky Way with the naked eye is something incredible. The three stars of Orion’s Belt appear upside down because we were in a different hemisphere.

It was cold that night, and I was happy. I put on two jackets, a beanie, gloves, but no second pair of pants. The lake was invisible; we could only hear the sound of its rippling water.

We counted a few shooting stars and made silent wishes.

Some of them dampened my face.