(no subject)
She turned her head toward the pane of glass that ran itself alongside the table and began staring past her reflection in the window. Outside she saw the rain quicken and lull as it formed sheets that billowed with the force of the wind. Unrelenting, it poured over the rooftops of cars parked on side streets, just hidden away by the green awnings that perched themselves over the windowpanes of neighboring storefronts. Her breath formed a cloud of thick condensation that stuck to the glass and obstructed her view as she breathed steadily and heavily upon it. She heard the sound of ceramic scraping the fiberglass tabletop and her eyes darted towards the waitress as she slid a mug of black coffee and two tiny plastic creamers her way. She weakly thanked the woman and began sipping the beverage as it offered warmth to a body that desperately required it.
She looked up from her coffee, the steam rising from the mug warming her nose and blurring her vision. She recognized the dark and familiar figure of a young man drawing near to her table. He sat down across from her, removed the black sweater he wore, and wrung it out over the floor in front of the table, creating a small lake that spread itself over the checkered linoleum. Her eyes focused on the drops of icy rainwater still clinging to the fibers of the woven black mass that he shoved into the bench beside him. He then began to fidget and twist in search of comfortable seating, glancing down at his watch as he preceded to neatly fold his arms and rest them in a pretzel on the table. He raised his eyes and rested his chin on his thick entangled arms, now focusing on the small feminine figure who stared at him from across the table. She lowered her eyes as his met hers and looked distractedly into the blackness that lay ceramically contained, warming her hands as she held it snugly between them.
(september 19, 1999)
She looked up from her coffee, the steam rising from the mug warming her nose and blurring her vision. She recognized the dark and familiar figure of a young man drawing near to her table. He sat down across from her, removed the black sweater he wore, and wrung it out over the floor in front of the table, creating a small lake that spread itself over the checkered linoleum. Her eyes focused on the drops of icy rainwater still clinging to the fibers of the woven black mass that he shoved into the bench beside him. He then began to fidget and twist in search of comfortable seating, glancing down at his watch as he preceded to neatly fold his arms and rest them in a pretzel on the table. He raised his eyes and rested his chin on his thick entangled arms, now focusing on the small feminine figure who stared at him from across the table. She lowered her eyes as his met hers and looked distractedly into the blackness that lay ceramically contained, warming her hands as she held it snugly between them.
(september 19, 1999)