The day we saw forever

Fishing for more

After 13.00
I've rented two rods. There is an exciting skip in her step that I find very amusing. Once we reach the waterside she folds open two chairs that the kind sir by the stand provided us with.

It's beautiful by the water and so very quiet. Not a soul around. Just a man and a woman pretending to know what they're doing.

'What else did you study?' she asks seconds before throwing her line out into the water.

'Not much to be honest. I dropped out shortly after.' She turns her gaze to me and I can't help but feel a little ashamed. Uni wasn't for me. I tried, really tried. I took on literature classes because I like reading but I dreaded the shallow debates by superficial people. I took on all sorts of extra classes thinking it would give me some sense of direction. It never did.

'Talk to me.' She says.

'I never saw the point in it. My dad is a dentist. Which he loves. Mom works as an art teacher. I always pictured myself doing either one of those.'

'But it didn't feel right?'

'No. It didn't. I don't really know what I want in life. I thought about traveling.'

'Maybe you shouldn't just think about traveling.' She smiles.

'What about you?' Her eyes drift back to the water. The glittering of the sun makes me dizzy. It's mesmerizing up to the point of nausea.

'I'm still working my way through school. It's why I work at Smooths.'

'I thought you worked there for the rent.'

'That and school.'

She's independent. Her story doesn't just give it away. I can tell by the way she carries herself. Right now her eyes are locked on the body of water in front of us. She looks very serene. A person who doesn't need others to find meaning in life. If I hadn't crossed paths with her, she would've soaked up this day by herself. Her solitude isn't loneliness. It's intentional.

'What do you want to do? Later.' It's the plainest question but I sincerely want to know. I'm looking at her and trying to see what life would have in store for her.

'Therapist,' she says, eyes shooting back to me. 'Psychiatrist maybe, if possible.' Her eyes drenched in hopes and dreams. It's beautiful and fitting. I can see her project that serenity onto others.

'Anything is possible.'

'Please don't finish that off with some cliché like if you believe it.' Her eyes narrow for a second before a burst of laughter escapes her mouth and I can't help but join in.

Silence floods over us again. In the far distance I hear birds chirping. It was only a fifteen minute walk from the busy streets of the city to this place but it feels like we have entered a different dimension. A new world. Our world.

I scoot my chair forward and throw of my sandals, dipping my toes in the cool water. A deep sigh follows. I could get used to this life. She follows my example. Losing her flats. Her toenails painted a cheerful mustard yellow, like the knitted vest that sits in my backpack. I put all my focus on her feet, beside mine. A new urge starts to grow inside me. I could move my foot an inch and touch her. I'm longing for her skin to touch mine.

She doesn't feel like a stranger. She feels like someone who I've lost. A shadow of a life I could have been living. A memory of an alternate timeline. I wonder if she feels it too but I'm too afraid to ask.

'Why therapy?' I ask breaking the silence once more.

'I want to help people. I lost my mother to depression.' I carefully shift my eyes from her feet to her eyes. Now I see it. This softness in her eyes is mixed with untold stories of pain.

'I'm sorry.' The natural thing to say.

'It's fine. It happened a long time ago. I was six. I don't even remember anything from that time. Just the things my dad told my grandma when he thought I wasn't listening.'

'I'm sure you'd be a great therapist,' she raises an eyebrow. 'I mean, you're easy to talk to.'

'Thanks. So are you.' A soft smile graces her face.

'Can I be honest with you?' I ask.

'Of course.'

'I really don't like fishing.' There is that laugh again.

'O thank God,' she giggles. 'Want to get out of here?'

'Where should we go next?'

'Hmm, my turn I guess?' I nod. 'I have an idea!' She gets up, pull her rod back and steps out of the water. I watch her dry her feet on the grass before stepping back in her golden flats. The sun catching her just right, illuminating her from above. Almost angelic.

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Please tell me you are all falling in love with Calli or Max... or both.