Moist beige granules of sand trickled down the valleys of her toes as she stood at the shore looking out at the horizon, trying to figure out the origin of the numerous waves that fizzle out to mere bubbles right at her feet.
She watched the Sun go down making the sky a hue of vermilion, and wondered why she felt lonely and craved a companionship that she did not care about for the 62 years she has lived in this world.
Everyday she came to the beach. She walked along the shore, relishing the breeze that blew past her, making two strands of her silver hair fly across her face. She made sure she did not carry anything with her, not even her phone, just so that she can walk with her hands free. She felt the air filling the shallow cups her hands made when she swung them ever so slightly, she liked that feeling. Obviously, she liked to cross her arms and glance sideways towards the sea as she walked, she always thought it made her look good when she walked like that. Since her house was just around the corner, she didn’t mind not having her phone. But that was not the real reason. All her friends were either dead, almost dead or barely knew her. Once the sun set, she walked back home and got back to reading her book. She could not even get through two pages leave alone her usual 100 at a time. She removed her reading glasses revealing the marks left behind on her nose by the nose pads. Her wrinkled, dark-circled eyes closed.
She laid her book down on the oak side table, and went into the kitchen to make dinner. She opened the refrigerator to see if there’s anything at all she was in the mood to make. But nope. Sometimes, she wondered why she bought groceries. She used to love cooking but as she became more alone, Susan cared lesser. So she decided to head out. Again.
She wore her taffy jacket and decided to walk to her favorite restaurant. She walked by the sea taking in the breeze that was just cold enough to push her to the edge of shivering. In a distance she could see “Sands of time”, the neon sign of the cafe glowing.
Sands Of Time was an open cafe with only 4 tables under a roof and the rest out in the sand. It was a place of tranquility. Everyone spoke softly, adhering to the ‘keep your voices low, so you can hear the sea’. The cafe was lit only with pole lamps per every two tables. Each table had a jar filled with tangled serial light as an alternative to candles. Candles do look ambient but they are ephemeral even when there’s a gentle breeze.
Susan instinctively went and sat down at one of the two tables that were closest to the sea, so that she could look at and hear the waves. Her surroundings were partly lit by the Moonlight and the serial light.
As she sat down, a waitress approached her with a jug of water and said “Hey Susan, how are ya, would you like a menu?”. Susan replied “I am doing fine Lisa, I was too lazy to cook, again. No, I don’t need a menu, I’ll have the lasagna, and a glass of Pinot Noir, please and thank you.”
Bella was also an old woman but not as old as Susan, she was in her 50’s, she had enough money to sit at home and do nothing. But she thrived on meeting new people.
Bella said with a smile as she filled Susan’s glass with water “You can be lazy as long you bring us business, haha. I will bring you your order. Enjoy the sea.” And she walked back to the kitchen with all the orders in her head. She never took orders down on a sheet of paper. The woman had incredible memory and has never got the orders wrong. Susan always wondered how can she possibly remember so much at this age.
As she sat there watching the sea, inhaling the ocean breeze she felt like someone was looking at her from the other table by the sea. She had no vision on the person, as she was sitting with her back faced to that person.
She immediately got up and went to the restroom. This was an obvious maneuver to see who was sitting behind her. It was an old man. He had salt and pepper hair, a light gray stubble and eyes that hid the world in it. For the first time in years, Susan felt shy. She blushed as he quickly shifted his eyes towards the jar of light on his table, which irradiated his beautiful face even more, his blush only adding to it.
Susan didn’t have a clue what to do in these kinda situations. She kept her head down, walked out and quickly sat down at her table, the lasagna and the wine was already on the table. She took a sip of the wine and started to carve into the cheesy layers of the Italian savory. She was greeted with an earthy flavor slightly leaning towards a fruity one when she had a sip of that wine. Just as she was about to take a bite of her lasagna, she heard a robust voice with a slight tremble. “Excuse me, miss..”
She was flustered and yet excited, slowly turned around making sure she had her prettiest expression. “Yes?” Susan was delighted that he worked up the courage to come and talk to her.
The man had a slight slouch, he said with a sheepish smile ” Uh you are sitting at my table, well, pleasure’s all mine, but you seem to have a liking towards my lasagna, which I cannot permit.” He was grinning at this point.
Susan quickly looked around her and saw her taffy coat hanging on the chair at the table she was sitting at. She was at a loss for words, what a strange first impression had she made.
“I’m so sorry about that, you know how it is in our age” Susan said giggling awkwardly showing off her pearly whites and cheeks flushed.
“Oh no you didn’t, speak for yourself I’m just in my late twenties…. For a few decades now.” he remarked charmingly “I’m Gerald, and you are…?”
The awkwardness in her settled down “Susan” she said with a smile. She slid the lasagna towards his side, and picked up the wine and stood up to go to her table. “I will take this glass of wine, I will ask Bella to give you mine.”
As she turned to leave, Gerald said loudly “Or.” Susan turned to his sharp gray suit. She could see his face change the moment she make eye contact, she could feel herself change. Gerald continued “You could sit here. Have dinner with me? I’m waiting for your glass of wine, might as well wait for your lasagna as well.” said he as he slid it back towards her.
Susan was so excited and flustered, are they already on a date in her favorite cafe?
Gerald caught Susan’s reluctance, “I’m so sorry if that was too forward, it’s just that I haven’t seen such a beautiful woman in a while.” Susan’s face turned red, she took a second and spoke “I like your honesty. You’re also very handsome. You think that’s forward? Watch this.” Susan sat down, split the lasagna, served one half on his plate, and the other on hers. They stared into each other’s gentle eyes for a moment and started chuckling.
Gerald briskly walked to Susan’s former table, his gray dinner jacket hindering his movements just a little bit, picked her jacket off the chair. As he held it in his hands, his eyes almost closed in satisfaction when the scent of lavender hit his olfactory receptors. He walked back to his table and put the coat around Susan’s chair.
Bella walked out with a plate of lasagna, and a glass of wine and saw that Susan’s table was empty, she looked ahead and found her sitting with Gerald.
“Well, what’s going on here? If I didn’t know better, I would call this a date.” said Bella as she placed the food on the table and the drink by Gerald. Susan smiled and replied “Thank you Bella, but you don’t know better, it is a date. At least, I think so.” Gerald nodded ” Oh did you think my flirtatious behavior was flirtatious, I’m so sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. ”
“Oh would you look at that, the handsome old man is also gifted with a sense of humor.” remarked Bella and walked past the table and mouthed to Susan “Nice.” and winked.
Susan and Gerald spoke for hours and hours. She learned about him, he learned about her, their plates and glasses were empty, but their newfound interest in each other was never ending. They sat at the cafe till they were the last ones there. Bella then started to close up shop, and approached their table.
Gerald looked up and asked “Oh we’re sorry, are we keeping you?” Bella replied with a smile “Yes, obviously, look around you, there are things apart from Susan here.” As a matter of fact, Susan hadn’t looked off her table for a long time, the serial light jar in every other table was switched off, making their table stand out. And she also noticed Gerald looking around with wonder.
“Oh we are terribly sorry! We’ll get out of your hair.” said Susan “And Bella, put the bill on my tab.” Bella nodded and waited for them to clear the table.
Gerald put the pink coat around Susan and subsequently buttoned up his dinner jacket as well. “Here’s where you give me your phone number.” said Gerald with a big grin. Susan gently smiled and gave her phone number as Gerald noted it down on his phone. “But as you can gather from what we spoke today, having my phone number is in vain.” said Susan.
They both walk outside as Gerald said “From what I can gather, it looks like I won’t be needing it for the most part, I’ll just have to visit Sands Of Time more often.”
Susan always came to this cafe to boost her spirits, but it didn’t quite work. Until today. She felt that today was the day that everything was gonna change in her life. It’s a bit late, but that didn’t matter.
Gerald had been coming to this cafe for a couple years now, trying to find peace after he lost his partner in an accident when he was 58 years old. Everyday, he came to the Sands Of Time, to have a peaceful lunch. But he always ended up crying in the restroom mid meal.
Today, he decided to have dinner and cry at night for a change, which was when he saw Susan. She had such a calming presence, and was attractive as well. He felt something new after two years, something that he had not felt after he lost his wife. While he was waiting for his order, she quickly got up and went to the restroom. Which is when he realized he spooked her, he saw her quickly glancing at him. He was unconsciously staring. Gerald felt terrible and decided to go to the restroom and cry. He went inside and stood in front of the mirror, but he did not cry. He was still thinking about her, he saw flushed cheeks instead of tears.
So he decided to approach her and talk to her. When he walked out, to his surprise, he saw her sitting at his table. He realized it was a mistake when she took a sip of his wine and saw that her taffy coat was still at her table. He chuckled to himself and decided to make this silly situation a date.
Susan and Gerald decided to hang out more, they didn’t get married, and it was not friendship as well. They loved each other, all they did was go on dates, talk about their lives, for they have lived long ones. After every date, they hugged, Gerald walked Susan home and he went on to call a cab to his place.
Susan still went to the beach everyday, watched the sunset, but this time, she had her phone with her, for there was one person who loved her.
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