The Righteous Path

The Stranger

Author note 9/2022 - Thank you all for 5K views. Please remember to comment and vote for what you like! I always enjoy interacting with everyone! 

Author note 11/2022 - Holy shit, 10K views! Thank you for reading my little passion project. It's not perfect, but I genuinely hope you find some enjoyment in the story. Thank you all.

Lilith walked into the coffee shop, a gust of icy air rushing in from behind her. She wore the warmest jacket she had, but it was still not enough to keep out the cold. The day was bitterly frigid in fact, snow and slush covering the sidewalks and trees. The coffee shop where she came every day was as pretentious and busy as always, dull hipster music droning on in the background. Though the atmosphere was not perfect, the warmth was welcoming and helped thaw her numb fingers and toes. The smell of coffee and baked goods made her stomach rumble. She moved through the crowd to the counter and ordered her usual hot chocolate. The barista was short and full figured with an unpleasing disposition. I would be annoyed too if I worked in a bustling coffee shop smack dab in the middle of a college town Lilith thought. The woman corrected the order from a medium hot chocolate to a Grande chocolate steamer, to add to the conceited atmosphere. Lilith paid for the drink and moved down the L shaped counter to wait.

While standing there at the far side of the shop, tucked away from the main group of parishioners, she partook in her favorite past time: people watching. The unusually cold weather had driven a small group of homeless people in, seeking reprieve in the warmth. It looked as though someone had bought them coffee. More interesting was the large amount of pale, sullen looking figures milling about. Some of them were wearing shirts that resembled Metallica or Iron Maiden. The shirts she could see had a weird skeleton Pope with ornate writing that she couldn't make out without her glasses. Though this was a high traffic shop, it was particularly busy today. She chalked it up to the opening of a youth center down the road and dismissed the pale ones as a product of the times. She herself was pale, despite all the sunbathing she did in the summer. Near the entrance of the shop sat a man, mid-thirties with messy black hair and a thin, snowy face. His green eyes locked with hers, and they stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. A smile softened his angular face, drawing a smile from her. The trance was broken by an offensive vibration in her back pocket. Snapping back to reality, she turned to the counter and noticed her hot chocolate siting there. Either they didn't bother to notify her or she had been so caught up in her thoughts that she was oblivious to their presence. She grabbed her coco and pulled the phone from her back pocket, swiping the screen to answer it.

"Hello?" She said. Why is it that we answer the phone with a question when we can see who is calling? she thought.

"Hey Lilith, it's Sam" said the voice on the phone.

"Hey Sam, what's up?" weaving in and out of the crowed, she made her way absent-mindedly to a seat by the window near the entrance of the shop.

"Yeah uh, about tonight. I need to cancel. And before you rag on me, Joel wants to meet up and talk about our relationship!"

"You're standing me up on a Saturday night for a two-timing asshole?"

"Hey, harsh! He's not an asshole. Regardless of our relationship's future, I need my stuff." He friend sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I swear. I'll call you tomorrow, kay?"

A frown turned the corners of Lilith's lips. "Fine, but don't do anything you'll regret in the morning."

"Right, bye!" Lilith could hear the smile on her face.

"Bye Sam." As she hung up, she felt a bit jealous. Sam, one of her few friends in this town, had finally gotten out of a poisonous relationship. They had planned a night out on the town to celebrate. Now she was left to sit at home on a dreary night, alone with her homework and thoughts.