The weatherman missed the mark again. Sitting in his cozy tv studio this morning while I readied myself for another day at the office, he claimed that today the city would see the mid 50's and its fair share of sunshine. In other words, it was supposed to be a gorgeous autumn day. That's the last time I listen to him. I'll be damned if it was more than 35 degrees in the city this evening. The wind picked up again, a cold hand sliding over my face and through my hair on its journey through the streets. I sighed, pulled the collar of my well-worn pea coat up a little higher, bowed my head down a little lower and squared myself against winter's early arrival. As I passed another shop window, my slender figure was bathed in warm light for a fleeting second. "Just another block to go," I reassured myself and quickened my pace. The downtown streets had emptied quite a bit since the workday ended, its daytime inhabitants scrambling for the comfort of home and loved ones. As the sun finally gave up its fight and disappeared somewhere behind me, I turned the corner and opened the door to my home away from home, my favorite café. The gust of warm air and the strong, sweet aromas that greeted me when I entered the shop were both comforting and compelling, luring me ever inward, away from the cold concrete of the streets and towards the supple leather of my usual seat near the window.
I used to come here maybe once a week after work, sometimes with friends, but usually alone. It got me out of the stifling quiet of my apartment and gave me a break from cooking dinners for one. The only drawback here is the persistence of the local males. For some reason, guys around here just can't comprehend why 'such a cute young thing', as they insist on calling me, would want to come all the way down here and sit by herself. They think that obviously I must just be waiting for a man to find me here amongst the cappuccinos and pastries and sweep me off my feet. Right. Wonder what they'd say if they knew that it wasn't a man I was looking for...but a woman. I had been in a serious relationship that ended about 6 months ago, and since then I just hadn't found another woman I was interested in.
Until about two months ago.
It had been another long day at work, and I didn't feel up to cooking dinner for myself, so I walked down to the cafe and slid into my usual table, lost in thought. Who knows how long I sat unmoving, distracted by the world outside my window.
"Umm...excuse me? Miss?" I was pulled from my daze by a soft voice. I looked up hurriedly, carelessly. I suppose I had a startled look about me because she apologized for disturbing me. I guess she had tried to get my attention two or three times before I finally heard her. My eyes met hers...and my heart stopped beating in my chest.
This was most definitely not my normal server.
My usual waiter was an openly gay 22-year old guy named Erik. He had me pegged as a lesbian the first time he waited on me, although I'm far from obvious to most people. I've become used to being greeted by his "Hey girl!" over the months. Such a friendly, outgoing guy. He's been good to talk to, especially during my break-up, and to my surprise we've confided in each other quite a bit over the months.
But this, this was most definitely not Erik. After a moment of staring stupidly, I came to my senses and smiled at the beauty before me. Her hair was pulled back in a careful ponytail, but a few strands had managed to escape their imprisonment, instead hanging down in front, framing her pale white-skinned face. I turned into a schoolgirl in her gaze, my cool demeanor disintegrating in record time, my complex thought processes grinding to a halt, unable to do anything but smile a shy smile back and stare.
"What can I get for you this evening?" she had asked me, but I was far too caught up in the surprise of seeing someone so gorgeous in this place to respond immediately. She had such an easy, unassuming smile on her face. Genuine...you can always tell a genuine smile because they smile with their eyes as well as their mouth. And god her eyes...a penetrating blue with what seemed like flecks of gold and gray.
