Red Line

1

Silence.

That was the life of  Kalim Imani.

He was deaf since his tenth birthday.

A birthday he and his mother decided to never speak of again. 

He was 20 now, an independent man in the city, who had mastered the art of being deaf.

He still remembered the sounds of childhood, but they were fuzzy, memories that would haunt him forever.

It was 11am, he was in his usual spot at the cafe.

The lone table with two chairs and a faded checkered tablecloth, right near the biggest window.

Most days he was entranced by the life outside the window, the life inside the same everyday.

Today was different however.

Kalim spotted the tan girl with a round face, the moment she walked in the door.

Her long ebony hair reaching just below her breast, flowing smoother than silk, and her medium frame dressed in sharp clothing, caught his eye.

In one hand, a book Kalim knew by heart, the other held a phone to her ear.

He tried to lip read, his curiosity seizing him right away.

He couldn't help but stare. She wasn't like the other people that came in. Her air about her was different. 

It was almost intelligent, and knowing how she held herself.

The genuine smile she gave the cashier, the way her black eyes sparkled like a night sky- it all just caught him off guard.

His heart almost jumped when she set down her things in the table across from him, sitting in the chair facing him.

She still talked on the phone, but she must have not been speaking English, since Kalim could not decipher what she was saying.

Soon she hung up and made quick eye contact with him, before smiling and opening her book.

He never knew he could feel that way. The way his heart thumped and his hand got sweaty.

All with a glance.

Kalim looked out the window once more to distract himself from the strangely pretty girl across from him. 

Then a pretty tall blonde walked in and greeted the girl across from him.

She sat down and they began to talk, the conversation looked lively, and when his view wasn't obscured by the blonde hair, he saw the first girl's eyes sparkle.

The blonde then reached into her bag and pulled out a leather journal with the name 'Rosealena' on it.

She handed it to the dark haired girl.

Rosealena.

'That must be her name' he smiled to himself.

He checked his phone the time reading 12:05, indicating he would have to leave.

He quickly gathered his drawing notebook and chugged down the rest of his coffee before leaving a $2 tip for Nancy, who was there everyday this shift and who had been the first to realize he was deaf and had taken care of him since.

As he passed Rosealena on his way out, knowing he would never forget her.