Seven Fridays
Third Friday
Jean clutched his briefcase in his hands as he walked down the leaf-covered pathway, the sounds of the tanned leafs crunching under his shoes. He wondered if that woman was sitting upon the bench again. She has been on his mind for the past week. Every time after work on Friday, he looked forward to seeing her on that bench, reading her tiny book and smiling softly. There were times where his mind would wander off while organizing his papers on his desk. He would imagine the smile on her lips and he would think about that smile being directed towards him. It would leave him flustered, his fair complexion being stained with blood rushing to his cheeks and ears. Some of his co-workers asked if he was sick and he would deny it and go back to his work. But now, he was practically skipping with joy as he was giddy to see the young woman again. He went down the familiar way and walked down the curved pathway. The young woman came to sight. But she wasn't alone. She sat with another woman, chatting with her as they ate lunch together. The other woman had brown long hair tied in a high pony tail. She had light brown colored eyes and she talked very loudly even with her mouth being stuffed with what Jean thought was sushi. They ate with chopsticks from a lunch box and chatted away. The ponytail woman doing most of the talking while the black haired woman would nod and listen, maybe saying a word or two. Jean continued to walk by them, quietly wishing he could join them.