A Simple Question
A Simple Question
A Short Story
Daniel’s feet were aching to move by the time Sarah found him. Throughout their brief acquaintance, Daniel had been the one to initiate most of their encounters. He fancied her, and recently he had begun pushing to bring their friendship to a different level, with his actions culminating in a written invitation to accompany him to dinner. He was beginning to fear that he was coming off as too aggressive, and he hoped to orchestrate the meeting so that this time, it would be her approaching him. Thus when he saw her out of the corner of his eye, walking up the path towards the bridge, he forced himself to remain completely still and huddled over his cusped hands and pretended that he did not hear her approaching.
But when he finally felt the soft pull on the edge of his coat sleeve, he turned to see a pained expression on her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked automatically.
She opened her mouth a few times without saying anything, and Daniel began to worry. Before he could wonder what the matter could be, though, she spoke. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to go to dinner with you tonight,” she said.
Disappointed, he waited for her to say more. But she had her mouth closed shut and she had that pained look on her face as she looked back at him. It might have even been a little bit sad. He couldn’t stand to see her look like that, so he decided to let the matter drop and change the subject. Dinner wasn’t such a big deal, after all, he reassured himself. He could ask her again later.
He smiled and motioned to Sarah to move closer, he had to show her something. As she drew near he opened up his hands to reveal a colored stone. She grinned knowingly as he launched into an animated exposition of the stone’s valuable traits. “I found it a little while ago, right under the bridge,” he explained. “It’s so colorful; I don’t know why I hadn’t seen it before. I wish I knew more about geology, so I could explain how it got to be this way. Are these the sedimentary kind, do you know?” he asked, but she shook her head, smiling, so he continued, “I’ll bet it is, but that’s about all I’d know. And the designs on it! This is a very multi-faceted stone. Look at how it curves…” he said, bringing his open hands to her face so that she could see, too.
But she laughed and closed his fingers around the stone with her own. “All right, all right, it’s beautiful, I believe you!” she said. She guided his hand and the stone back to him and asked, “Are you going to keep it, or leave it here?”
His face alighted in surprise, and then he laughed, too. “I don’t know,” he said, “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“That’s typical you, dwelling on everything but the most important question!”
They continued to talk, talking of their recent experiences and laughing together. Daniel noticed that Sarah was a little more subdued than usual, as if she was still harboring some sadness from earlier. He felt an irrepressible urge to make her worries disappear, and he jumped into the distance between them, becoming more engaging in his comments, more animate in his gestures, and unfailingly quick with his wide smiles. He regaled her with stories about his life, trying as best as he could to get her to forget there ever was a question of dinner, and as the conversation progressed, she did seem to forget, finally warming to match the golden light of late afternoon. The stillness of the air made Daniel feel that the two of them had found a way to slow the inevitable flow of time so that he, Sarah, and the stone in his hand could share all of the secrets that made the world wonderful.
At length, the conversation turned to the matter of tact. They had been discussing a recent encounter Daniel had had with a friend of his, and Sarah was explaining to him the subtleties and complexities inherent in interactions with women. Her tone had become earnest as she talked to him, as if he was missing something important. Indeed, though he listened patiently, his mouth contained a hint of a childish smirk, and when she was done he declared that all of these issues of tact were nonsense. “Me, I’m simple; I say what I want and I want what I say. I’m an open book,” he finished, smiling broadly.
“Yes, I understood you right away,” she said quietly. The smile lingered on her face, but a familiar sadness was etching itself into her eyes as she looked back at him.
His eyebrows wrinkled in thought, and then he laughed abruptly. “Well I didn’t mean it that way! I happen to think of myself as an interesting guy…” he said, and as he talked he made a show of standing to his full height, extending his arms majestically, “…full of mystery and intrigue! Are you really claiming to have understood me ‘right away’?” He said all of this in a self-mocking tone, but in truth, he half-believed most of the things he said in this way. Standing almost on his toes with his arms stretched long, he looked like a child pretending to be fully grown. This was one of his favorite ways to draw compliments from women, and he awaited her response expectedly, now grinning stupidly.
But she didn’t say, “Of course not!” She didn’t laugh, not even a fake little one. Instead she said nothing, and the sadness flowed from her as she stared at him. He looked at her in surprise, and then shock, but she continued to remain silent, and her eyes seemed to bore into him, holding him fast as the color slowly fell from his face. At last, he could look at her no longer, and he turned away to look at his hands instead, hanging over the railing. He noticed the stone, and stared at if as if seeing it for the first time.
Time passed, unmarked. Without moving his head he said, “So you aren’t coming to dinner?” It was phrased as a question, but his tone was flat.
“No,” she replied. Her voice was so soft, it sounded like she was fading. When he remembered to blink his eyes again, he felt that she was gone.
Everything was still except for the stone, which he continued to turn slowly in his hands. In his heart, he still believed himself to be colorful, multi-faceted, and beautiful. But, he realized now, to the world, he was only a little boy, holding his hands out in search of love. It all boiled down to the simple question: do you keep him, or leave him where he was?
I understood you right away.
The setting sun silhouetted the unmoving figure. The stone fell from lifeless hands. Its color obscured as it drifted through water, until it landed among the other stones waiting to be found.
A Short Story
Daniel’s feet were aching to move by the time Sarah found him. Throughout their brief acquaintance, Daniel had been the one to initiate most of their encounters. He fancied her, and recently he had begun pushing to bring their friendship to a different level, with his actions culminating in a written invitation to accompany him to dinner. He was beginning to fear that he was coming off as too aggressive, and he hoped to orchestrate the meeting so that this time, it would be her approaching him. Thus when he saw her out of the corner of his eye, walking up the path towards the bridge, he forced himself to remain completely still and huddled over his cusped hands and pretended that he did not hear her approaching.
But when he finally felt the soft pull on the edge of his coat sleeve, he turned to see a pained expression on her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked automatically.
She opened her mouth a few times without saying anything, and Daniel began to worry. Before he could wonder what the matter could be, though, she spoke. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to go to dinner with you tonight,” she said.
Disappointed, he waited for her to say more. But she had her mouth closed shut and she had that pained look on her face as she looked back at him. It might have even been a little bit sad. He couldn’t stand to see her look like that, so he decided to let the matter drop and change the subject. Dinner wasn’t such a big deal, after all, he reassured himself. He could ask her again later.
He smiled and motioned to Sarah to move closer, he had to show her something. As she drew near he opened up his hands to reveal a colored stone. She grinned knowingly as he launched into an animated exposition of the stone’s valuable traits. “I found it a little while ago, right under the bridge,” he explained. “It’s so colorful; I don’t know why I hadn’t seen it before. I wish I knew more about geology, so I could explain how it got to be this way. Are these the sedimentary kind, do you know?” he asked, but she shook her head, smiling, so he continued, “I’ll bet it is, but that’s about all I’d know. And the designs on it! This is a very multi-faceted stone. Look at how it curves…” he said, bringing his open hands to her face so that she could see, too.
But she laughed and closed his fingers around the stone with her own. “All right, all right, it’s beautiful, I believe you!” she said. She guided his hand and the stone back to him and asked, “Are you going to keep it, or leave it here?”
His face alighted in surprise, and then he laughed, too. “I don’t know,” he said, “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“That’s typical you, dwelling on everything but the most important question!”
They continued to talk, talking of their recent experiences and laughing together. Daniel noticed that Sarah was a little more subdued than usual, as if she was still harboring some sadness from earlier. He felt an irrepressible urge to make her worries disappear, and he jumped into the distance between them, becoming more engaging in his comments, more animate in his gestures, and unfailingly quick with his wide smiles. He regaled her with stories about his life, trying as best as he could to get her to forget there ever was a question of dinner, and as the conversation progressed, she did seem to forget, finally warming to match the golden light of late afternoon. The stillness of the air made Daniel feel that the two of them had found a way to slow the inevitable flow of time so that he, Sarah, and the stone in his hand could share all of the secrets that made the world wonderful.
At length, the conversation turned to the matter of tact. They had been discussing a recent encounter Daniel had had with a friend of his, and Sarah was explaining to him the subtleties and complexities inherent in interactions with women. Her tone had become earnest as she talked to him, as if he was missing something important. Indeed, though he listened patiently, his mouth contained a hint of a childish smirk, and when she was done he declared that all of these issues of tact were nonsense. “Me, I’m simple; I say what I want and I want what I say. I’m an open book,” he finished, smiling broadly.
“Yes, I understood you right away,” she said quietly. The smile lingered on her face, but a familiar sadness was etching itself into her eyes as she looked back at him.
His eyebrows wrinkled in thought, and then he laughed abruptly. “Well I didn’t mean it that way! I happen to think of myself as an interesting guy…” he said, and as he talked he made a show of standing to his full height, extending his arms majestically, “…full of mystery and intrigue! Are you really claiming to have understood me ‘right away’?” He said all of this in a self-mocking tone, but in truth, he half-believed most of the things he said in this way. Standing almost on his toes with his arms stretched long, he looked like a child pretending to be fully grown. This was one of his favorite ways to draw compliments from women, and he awaited her response expectedly, now grinning stupidly.
But she didn’t say, “Of course not!” She didn’t laugh, not even a fake little one. Instead she said nothing, and the sadness flowed from her as she stared at him. He looked at her in surprise, and then shock, but she continued to remain silent, and her eyes seemed to bore into him, holding him fast as the color slowly fell from his face. At last, he could look at her no longer, and he turned away to look at his hands instead, hanging over the railing. He noticed the stone, and stared at if as if seeing it for the first time.
Time passed, unmarked. Without moving his head he said, “So you aren’t coming to dinner?” It was phrased as a question, but his tone was flat.
“No,” she replied. Her voice was so soft, it sounded like she was fading. When he remembered to blink his eyes again, he felt that she was gone.
Everything was still except for the stone, which he continued to turn slowly in his hands. In his heart, he still believed himself to be colorful, multi-faceted, and beautiful. But, he realized now, to the world, he was only a little boy, holding his hands out in search of love. It all boiled down to the simple question: do you keep him, or leave him where he was?
I understood you right away.
The setting sun silhouetted the unmoving figure. The stone fell from lifeless hands. Its color obscured as it drifted through water, until it landed among the other stones waiting to be found.