I once fell in love with a girl who was Freedom in love. It was very random, so unexpected. She just appeared in my life like an impulsive gust of wind. It was so sudden, so tangible and so hard to forget.
The way we met was so cliché. I had been out the whole day, from dawn to dusk. I rested myself at a nearby park some time before twilight. It was chilly but very calm so all I wore was a baggy sweater to keep me warm. There was something romantic about the day, when you can’t help but take in every detail about the scenery around you. In the descending light, the grass reflected dark-green colors with a tinge of blue, the lampposts started to form a pathway among the trees, families were dragging their kids back home and I was there, sitting on a bench, drinking warm Starbucks coffee.
I shook the container; I could feel the remaining swirl inside. There was nothing special about my life, just a very tranquil routine. Wake up, go to school, do homework, relax, write, draw, exercise, sleep. Not an introvert, just a home lover. I needed my share of alone time and then expose myself to open spaces. So here I was, drinking warm coffee, watching the royal dark blue sky dim itself into black and stare at the white park lights create a ghostly glare. It was beautiful and I didn’t understand why.
Right when I was turning to throw the Starbucks container and its little mermaid away into a sea of garbage, I heard someone yelp. It wasn’t scary, it wasn’t alarming, just a yelp of surprise.
When I looked back to the dark grass, a girl was stepping over the cement edge towards a little French bulldog. She completely knelt, grabbed the puppy and held it in her arms. The dog probably fell down.
Once she stood up, the girl locked eyes with me. I pursed my lips regretting my habit of staring at people. I just take in details, the surrounding, the contexts… it’s nothing special. I was about to throw the container again and ignore the eyes when she approached me.
“Have you ever had a dog?” She asked.
I frowned finding the question too sudden but, because I’m into words, I answered. “Yeah. Why?”
“I never have.” She said petting her dog and then staring back up at me. “I think he’s tired.”
“What’s his name?”
“Chester.”
“That’s such an ordinary name.” I chuckled.
She gave me a very short laugh, “Yeah but he responds well to it.”
I extended my arms, warm from the sweater’s insulation, and said, “May I?”
She watched my hand with the Starbucks cup, grabbed it and then handed the dog to me, “Sure… but he doesn’t like people.”
I felt the soft belly against my skin as I surrounded him with my arms. Chester started to settle into them, lazily closing his eyes. “Are you sure? He likes you.”
“Apparently he likes you too.” She said. The girl gave the dog a white smile and then directed it toward me. Her lips seemed adjusted to the expression, almost too natural. Her dark eyes showed a perfect glare and her dimples shown in my eyesight. “I’m Ella. Nice to meet you.”
I ran my hand down the puppy’s back, it was extremely soft… like lips with soft fur under my fingers. “Drew.”
The dogs belly heaved up and down. Dogs are the one thing that melts my heart, especially sleepy ones with no care in the world, just lying there in my arms. His black fur, just like the grass, gave off a blue reflection. For a second Chester, Ella and I stood there. Whether they were conscious of it or not, we took in the island of light in the midst of the early evening and breathed the same air of tranquility.
Suddenly, when I moved my weight onto my left foot, Chester woke up. His black eyes opening where like a snap back to reality. I handed him back to Ella, whose hands were now empty. She had thrown away the Starbucks container for me.
“Okay then,” I said, sighing with no particular intent.
Suddenly (or at least that’s how it felt), Ella glanced at me with interest, “Hey… This might sound weird but… do you want to… go have dinner at home with us?”
I think my reaction was abrupt too because the pause that followed showed my surprise.
“Uh, I mean…” Her eyes darted to the side, “You were just sitting there so I thought you had nothing to do tonight… and um…”
“Yeah, sure.” I said, breaking her line of words. This was weird to me. Meeting a stranger and being invited to hang out… but the French bulldog plus her calm personality, at least as a first impression, made me feel interested. “Where do you live?”
Ella watched me with lips half-opened in mute amazement. Had I struck her as well?
The eyebrows on her face looked concerned… only for a moment though because she then pointed behind her and we started walking between the lighted-up lampposts.
Her dog in her arms, my sweater hanging around my body and our words drifting into a taste of emotion. We met because of a French bulldog puppy; her French bulldog with an ordinary name... and my Starbucks coffee.
It’s was so cliché.
YOU ARE READING
Thinking Flowers (girlxgirl)
Historia Corta"I once fell in love with a girl who was Freedom in love. It was very random, so unexpected. She just appeared in my life like an impulsive gust of wind. It was so sudden, so tangible and so hard to forget."
