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Tuesdays

From the very second they met, Chaeyoung knew this girl was something special. It doesn't take more than a few Tuesdays for her to fully realize just how big an impact she's going to leave on her life.

_

It was mid-July and exceptionally pleasant for that time of year. I’d just finished work – I had gotten a job at the library to keep me busy over the summer while I wasn’t in school – and decided to take a walk through the park before heading home.

I had already been there for about ten minutes when I saw her walking toward me. Or running, rather. She was chasing a small dog, her arm stretched out in front of her, desperately grasping a light blue leash and fighting as it threatened to slip away. I figured she was meant to be walking the dog, but it sure seemed like the dog was walking her.

She had gorgeous hair. That was one of the first things I noticed about her. It was dark brown and slightly curly. It came just past her shoulders. And her eyes. Oh man, her eyes. Even from afar I could see them sparkle. Whether they were blue or green, I couldn’t tell. And I didn’t want to stare.

But I sure did pick the wrong time to divert my eyes.

As soon as I looked away I felt something hit my legs, coming at me from the left. It caught me completely off guard and, honestly, I’ve never been the best with balance. I fell over, landing in the grass to the right of the path.

It was the dog that hit me. Jumping on top of me, it furiously licked my face until the girl was able to catch up to it and pull it off me. Apologizing profusely, she helped me back to my feet. She explained that she was dog-sitting for her aunt who was on vacation in Rhode Island for the week. The dog was stronger than she’d expected considering how small it was, and she hadn’t been informed that it would take off like a rocket as soon as it saw people and definitely shouldn’t be taken on walks in a crowded park.

Brushing the grass and dirt off my pants, I smiled at her, telling her it was not big deal. She thanked me for not being mad and continued on her walk with the small dog anxiously leading the way. I watched her for a few seconds as she was pulled towards a group of people having a picnic under a large tree. I continued on my way in the opposite direction, not wanting to stick around long enough to witness the disaster that was sure to unfold when the dog finally made contact with the food.

_

The next time I went to that park was Tuesday of the next week. I’d gotten off work a little early and the weather was nice again. I was sitting on a bench sketching the scene before me in my notebook when I heard a voice ask if the other end of the bench was taken. I shook my head and gestured for the person to sit without looking up from my drawing.

We sat in silence for a few moments before I heard the voice again. “Do I know you? It’s just that you look really familiar and I can’t figure out why.”

I looked up, finally, and saw her sitting there. The girl from before. I drew in a sharp breath, stunned once again by her beauty. Before I could even begin to speak, a look of realization spread across her face like a wave washing over a sandy beach. “Oh my gosh! You’re the girl Kuma tackled the other day.”

I nodded, assuming Kuma was the dog. “Yeah, that was me.”

She blushed, looking embarrassed. “I’m so sorry about that. I had no idea taking him for a walk would be such a bad idea.”

I smiled. “Seriously, it’s fine. I just hope you two got home okay.” I paused before adding, “And that family didn’t mind you crashing their picnic.”

She laughed. It was a cute laugh. It made her skin glow and her eyes light up. They were green, by the way. A beautiful, brilliant green. Like a forest the day after a rain shower, when everything was full of life and basking in the glory of newfound sunlight. “That was a mess.” Her posture relaxed. I hadn’t even realized how tense she had looked. As a matter of fact, I hadn’t realized how tense I was. I tried to relax, allowing my shoulders to fall and my back to lean against the wooden back of the bench.