We reached Ambrai just before sunset.

The old hotel overlooked the lake, and an army of waiters in white tuxedos drifted quietly between the tables.

One led us to a table at the water’s edge.

We opened our menus, then forgot about them almost immediately.

Behind us, the sun settled behind the hills.

The lake changed as the light faded. Gold became orange, then pink.

The moon appeared over the opposite shore. For a few minutes, both hung above the water.

Then the City Palace lights came on.

Hundreds of lights shimmered across its white walls until the palace floated above its reflection.

As the light faded, the lake changed by the minute.

Hundreds of lights shimmered across its white walls until the entire palace floated above its reflection.

~

Only then did we remember the menus.

The waiter saw us looking.

“Excuse me sir. Would you like something to drink first?”

I scanned the menu. Noticed coffee.

“Is this brewed coffee, or is it Nescafé?”

The waiter straightened.

“Nescafé sir. Only the best.”

I smiled.

“Water, then.”

Dani chimed in.

“And a mango lassi for me.”

He returned with a glass of filtered water marked by a slice of lemon, alongside Dani’s lassi.

She tasted it and frowned.

“Melted ice cream and mango syrup. You want to try?”

I didn’t.

~

“For dinner?”

I looked up.

Our waiter had returned and was standing over my shoulder.

“I… um… I need a minute.

Dani looked up from her lassi.

“What do you recommend?”

“Chicken.”

“Chicken?”

“Fresh today. Chicken and gravy”

Dani laughed. Set her menu down and tasted her lassi again. Then she grimaced and looked at me.

“You pick.”

“Yeah. We’ll have that. The chicken… and gravy. And some naan, please. ”

He wrote down our order and returned to the kitchen—his coat tails snapping in the breeze.

Twenty minutes later he returned carrying a whole roasted chicken covered in tomatoes, peppers, onions, and fragrant curry spices.

Whatever he meant by “gravy,” it worked.

We tore pieces of naan apart, scooped up the sauce, and watched the palace continue glowing across the lake.

By the time we paid, the city belonged to the night.