As I like to mention whenever an opportunity arises, the only people I am close to in Zagreb are waiters and store attendants. Waiters come far ahead of the store attendants, though. Many of them I know by name. Some of them I follow from one café to another, and quite a few of them go from job to job in search of better pay and conditions. Every now and then, I have a good talk with one or two of them. Which is why I feel obliged this morning to tell several of them that I will be missing for a while. “Don’t worry if you don’t see me the next few weeks,” I slap their shoulders. “I’m going to Motovun,” I explain, “but I’ll be back in Zagreb soon enough.” Smiling from ear to ear, they wish me a good trip and a quick return. And I shake their hands with gusto. That is how close I am to waiters in the Croatian capital. Which makes me quite happy, I must admit. Even more, I sometimes feel lucky on account of our closeness. Why do you need friends when you have waiters and store attendants who are as good as friends?