Zoe realised her phone had gone flat. Once the momentary flutter of panic passed, she felt free. 'No one can get me', she thought to herself. She also soon missed the constant pings and alerts that usually kept her life on track. Suddenly she realised she was alone - and not afraid.
Outside the sun was shining gently. She pulled on her trainers and headed out the door to walk by the river. Others passed her, their ears filled with music, podcasts, language lessons. Each was in their own head. Hardly anyone stopped to watch the lazy slapping of the water against the banks or listen to the crows that squawked among the rubbish bins at the tatty picnic spot.
Zoe wandered, no longer following the collective drum. Her thoughts strayed to Ariel, her friend, her sometime lover. Arielle had gone to see the world. She had filled a pack, bought a flight to Bangkok and left. She had asked Zoe to go with her but Zoe was uncertain. The tug of passion was not strong enough nor the wanderlust. Arielle had been off the radar for three months. Then today an sms " I need you. Come. Bring money - and Tim Tams".
Zoe did not know where to begin to reply. She stared at the river as it lazily pulled towards the sea, her thoughts drifting with it. It was too hard. She would leave the phone over night and work it out tomorrow.
Meanwhile she needed spaces- safe spaces to get her head together. She wandered up into the botanic gardens and flung herself down under one of the ancient fig trees. Staring up she watched the interplay of light and shade and felt into her body, stretching and relaxing muscles one by one. With her body in contact with the earth, it felt like she had space to breathe.
She lay there till the fading sun robbed her skin of warmth and the last cries of children hustled home to bath and bed receded. Struggling to her feet she suddenly became aware of eyes on her. 'Good sleep?' the disheveled looking man with the twinkly eyes asked her? ' yes, er no I wasn't really sleeping' she gabbled incoherently, dusting the grass from her jeans. 'Looked like sleep to me', he replied. 'Best wake up now- or you'll miss your train' And he strode off into the gathering dark.
'Train, what train' she thought. Then as life returned to her limbs and agility to her mind she took his words for a sign and hurried home to pack.
YOU ARE READING
Space Between
General FictionZoe wants to live her life differently. She decides to only act in the spaces in between the expected moments of her days. This is what happens.
