When it rains in the desert

English Coffee

I hadn't a clue where to take her, I couldn't take her to the usual time square and lady Liberty, she wanted to know how to get around. So I told her to choose a stop and we would get off and explore it together and apparently I'd done something right because I received a smile that lit up my heart in so many ways I couldn't even begin to explain. She said 5. We would get off in 5 stops and explore and to be honest I was never adventurous. I kind of liked it.

We got off and went on a hunt to find a coffee shop, it turned out she was as much of a coffee junkie as I was.

"Hey I thought brits only drank tea" I said, intending it as a question.

" oh yeah, if you're ever caught drinking coffee in England, the Queen chops your pinky finger off so that you may never raise it for afternoon tea ever again "

the seriousness she said it with was alarmingly real. I stared at her for a second too long to catch a crack in her mask to alert me that she was joking and when I didn't find it I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm joking I'm joking, obviously. It's the prime minister that deals with finger chopping not the Queen." She said laughing.

I still was unsure whether she was joking or not.

" my my you are extremely gullible aren't you Jacob Mendoza." She teased.

"I am not" I replied.

We located a coffee shop and sat down to drink and have breakfast. " So what's your story?" She asked, sipping her coffee.

"My story?" What was my story. I had parents who were lawyers that basically told me to move out and a douche bag best friend.

"Yeah you know, you're story, your fascinating stories on how you became the man you are today, weird hobbies, random talents."

I didn't know what to say, I literally had none. She must've seen the panic on my face and said " oh no, are you a Russian spy. Or nope, witness protection." I loved how she did that. Saved the conversation. Made it interesting.

"Yup yup you got me, I tried to hide the accent but I guess it wasn't good enough huh?" I played along.

" so what brought you to New York? What brought you to America ?" I asked

"Well, simple answer: I got a job, long answer: I needed a change of scenery. My life had been standing still for too long. I needed to move again. So I did. 4,000 miles" she said smiling to herself.

"Damn" I wish I had her sense of adventure.

" what about you?" She asked pulling me away from my thoughts. "What about me?"

 
"Yeah, what about you, I mean as much as you try to look like a New Yorker, you're not from around here either."

Was it that obvious? "Well, if you must know I moved here around a month ago with my friend from a small town in Pittsburgh" she stared at me to go on. I wish I could've  taken a picture of how she looked at me. It felt magical .

"My parents are both lawyers, they thought it would be good for me to "find myself" or whatever you know, stand on my own two feet. So that's what I'm trying to do." I said. I didn't know why I couldn't stop talking but I was comfortable.

" that's amazing, I don't actually think I know where my parents even are right now, it must be so nice to have parents that actually care" she said, without a hint of sadness, as though it was normal for her.

" well I guess I've never really known anything else but yeah it is nice" she smiled at this and sat back taking another sip from her coffee. I decided not to press the parents subject any further. We sat there for almost an hour sharing our college experiences and childhoods. Now that I look back on it, it was more of me explaining my childhood and her listening. I'd never had a friend to tell all these stories to. It was oddly comforting.

Once we left the coffee shop we decided to wander. We walked around like two tourists taking pictures and buying random souvenirs to mark this day and remember it for the years to come. i bought her this stupid I love NYC shirt and she bought me a key ring that may have been the cheesiest thing I've ever seen. it was a coffee cup and a pizza slice. So In  honor of signs, that was what we did.

We found a pizza place around where we were walking. "So we've been walking for like 3 hours and I still don't know what it is that you do" she said as we were both sitting down once we'd ordered.

"Well I just got offered a job at a law firm a couple of days ago so I guess you could say that's what I do" I said trying not to sound too proud.

"Damn. Law. I did not peg you for a law kinda guy." She said laughing.

"Wha- what do you mean?" I said clearly offended. I didn't know that there was a law school look.

"Well you just seem too laid back to be a lawyer." She stared back.

"Well Miss Lockheart, what is it that you do?"

"I thought you'd never ask. I'm a journalist." I could tell there was more she wanted to say so I gave her a look to prompt her to go on.

"Well I've wanted to be a journalist for the longest time, ever since I could write. " she started. The way she spoke about it revealed a certain longing . " I always hated how there was a filter put on magazines and the news, people only care about the rich, I wanted to write for the minorities."

She was completely lost in herself and it was almost as though she noticed she was talking to me and went " I'm sorry I'm really passionate about it." She said retracting her statements. I didn't want her to though. It was beautiful listening to her. There weren't many people that cared about that sort of stuff anymore.

"Dont apologise, carry on. It's nice to hear things that don't end in Kardashian" I said, reassuring her.

" EXACTLY!" She squealed a little too enthusiastically. " everyone is so superficial these days, I'm starving for a normal conversation." We went back and forth like this for the almost two hours before the pizza boy told us we had to leave.

We left and I began walking towards the subway when she tugged on my arm. "Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?" She said folding her arms across her chest.

"Erm.... Going home" I said, confused.

"Do you remember when I said you were spending the WHOLE DAY with me. That means midnight" she told me, turning around waiting for me to follow suit. This girl was going to destroy me, why did I find myself following her? The rest of the night was spent traipsing behind her and walking for hours.

"Are you trying to tell me I need to lose weight?" I said, clearly out of breath.

"Wha- what? No of course not" she said afraid she'd hurt my feelings.

" right then, why have we walked the entire length of New York City" I said stomping like a child.

"Oh you massive baby" she said clearly amused.

And then in a mock babying voice. "Oh my darling, do you need to rest? You should've just said so" I wanted her to call me my darling again. I couldn't get it out of my head for weeks. My darling.