What was the first thing you noticed about her?
I stood up from my seat on the bench, taking in the crisp winter air with a deep breath. I had all the time in the world before I had to meet with my mother to discuss everything that went wrong with my education and career, and I planned to enjoy every moment. No one, not even my tyrant of a mother, could rob that from me.
The watch on my wrist told me that the time was just past nine. I grinned. There was enough time to enjoy a hearty breakfast at the local diner and then aimlessly walk around more. I began walking at a leisurely pace to where my pancakes and eggs would be waiting for me.
Try as I might, I couldn't stop my thoughts from wandering to the catastrophes that were my grades. My mother was sure to be furious that I hadn't even tried in all four of my classes last semester and allowed myself to fail, but the truth was that I didn't care for any of them. I didn't have the passion for business; I didn't even want to be a business major. Instead, I wanted to earn a degree in graphic design, but my mother—
My thoughts came to a sudden halt when I bumped into someone as I rounded a corner. My eyes widened as they followed the small bouquet of white flowers falling to the ground. Startled by the sudden encounter, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the flowers until the person I had collided with picked them up and held them to her nose with a wistful look on her face.
"At least the flowers are fine," she murmured, lowering the bouquet and shyly looking up at me.
"Uh, yeah, they're very beautiful," I somehow managed to sputter, my tongue still thick with shock.
She smiled, her expression still melancholy. "Yet they bear such a tragic meaning."
I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Well, uh," I stammered. "I'm meeting someone, uh, soon, so I'll be on my way," I lied through a forced smile, moving past her without bothering to glance back.
Walking at a brisk pace, I cursed myself mentally for my inability to hold a proper conversation, but I was already dreading one later with my own mother. I didn't see the point in making myself suffer through an unexpected one with a stranger.
Once I crossed the street, I let myself slow down, trying to calm all of my jittery nerves. I was going to have a nice breakfast all to myself, not worrying about anything but enjoying myself. Until the time that I was supposed to meet my mother, I didn't owe an ounce of attention to anyone but myself.
YOU ARE READING
Perspective
Short StoryWhat is the first thing you notice about someone? Perhaps it is what that person becomes to you.