Riverton High School

~10~

                            "Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the expectation."

                                                                                                             - Gautama Buddha

Besides smoking or drinking Emily had good ways of reducing stress, sitting in a crowded coffee shop lonesome in her favorite booth, to help her think. Grasp concepts of her overflowing mental state. While sipping hot teas, coffees and munching on assorted cakes. She figured she might as well live there as much spare time she spent cooped up inside. Aside from partying, she used it in a way to find her inner Buddha. When there, goodness and peace flowed over her like a wave. Elsewhere she'd wreak havak on her mind and body as if she found out she'd die in 24 hours. 

When in her coffee shop, she really took the time to think. She thought about her date with John, and what a date it was. She let her guilt sink in a little deeper. She knew she was merely entertaining him. She knew what the result of all this with him would be. Her ex still meant too much, and she knew it would take sometime before she could latch onto anyone emotionally again. John was nice, she reasoned, but no one would take away from how Jake made her feel.

How Jake kissed her wet cheeks after a storm of tears.

How a simple touch from him cured an infirmity. 

How his soft breezy voice soothed her shaky insides.

She felt no one could compare to that. She wondered if he still thought about her, despite all they'd been through. She hadn't heard about him, and she wished they could have at least stayed friends. She sat comfily in her seat and ran her finger over the laminated menu of drink options, pondering her choices.

 Soon, a heavy set young girl passed by Emily's table dropping a crisp 20 dollar bill from her pocket. Emily instantly saw it. Diving to pick it up, holding the green, she bit her lip. On any old day she would have just slipped that bill casually in her bra. Her inner Buddha that day forced her out of her comfy booth and towards the girl heading out of the door. She tapped on her shoulder lightly. 

"Here uh..you dropped this back there." 

Emily sighed. The girl opened her eyes wide and chuckled "Wow - thank you." Her cheeks were rosy red and her hair tightly curled. She was a nice shade of brunette. She had the chubby cheeks and round face of a cabbage patch doll. 

"A lot of people would have just kept this bill." She nodded looking down at it.

"Well i'm trying to be less than evil today - it's no problem." Nodded Emily.

"Keep it." The girl widened her eyes again, handing Emily the bill.

"Ha - no way it's your money." Emily shook her head giving it back.

"Please I insist." The girl gave it back.

"Look girl -" Emily laughed. "Keep your change."

"You sure?" The girl said sweetly.

"Positive."

"I should treat you, for being so kind, we should just come back here one day, and i'll buy you a coffee."

"I guess i can accept that." Emily smirked.

"My name's Linda." She smiled widely.

Linda wrote down Emily's number on a napkin and left the shop. Being unusually kind made Emily really feel in tuned with her inner Buddha.