[Fiddling with the rings on her fingers, Cassandra waited patiently for her chai latte. When the barista called her name, she made her way to the counter only to find her cup taken by a man standing next to her.] Uhm, excuse me, Sir. That order is mine. Thereās my name written on it. Cass with the little cherry blossom. [She smiles softly.] Thatās me.
[Raises brows looking at the cup then back at her.] Oh! Iām sorry [Sighs loudly.] Too bad I donāt get a nice doodle like this one. I thought the barista was hitting on me, but was confused as to why she would draw a flower. [He shakes his head as he hands her her cup.]
[Cassandra widened her eyes, looking at the cherry blossom in his hand then at him. Shaking her head, she smiled softly but a bit hesitantly.]
Uhmā¦ this is too good to be true. I meanā¦ why do you have that with you? Itās beautifulā¦ Iā¦ Where did you get it from? Andā¦ why do you have so much in your fanny pack?
[Giggling, she slowly reached out, barely touching the petals with her index, a soft sigh escaping her lips.]
Whatās your story, Mr. Old Soul? You said you just moved here, is that right? Oh! The park is right there!
[Crossing the street, they made their way into the nearest bench, shadowed by a large tree. Cassandra kept her eyes locked on his, showing him that he had her full attention.]
Youād be surprised to know how much could fit in there. [He giggled as he closed his fanny pack and sat down on the bench next to you.]
I take a lot of photographs on my travel. I wouldnāt call myself a photographer, but I like to capture things as they truly are. Things that we might not notice unless we pause and stare. One time on my way to a McDonaldās in Tokyo, yes I was very unhealthy back then, anywayā¦ I noticed this huge cherry blossoms tree that took up so much space in the middle of the street and I just couldnāt help but think how even though the flowers fall fast, the tree itself is so strong and can live up to 250 years. Please interrupt me if you feel bored of my babbling.
[He giggled then shook his head fast, but continued speaking when you seemed to be immersed in his talk.]
I liked the symbolism that it represents. [He then says a French quote āMĆŖme si les pĆ©tales tombent, l'arbre reste.ā]
[Cassandra looked in his eyes with interest. Maybe others would have found what he said boring but she didnāt. On the contrary, it was his words but also his manner of speaking that captivated her during those few minutes.]
I couldnāt agree more. [She smiled softly.] Bien que lāarbre reste, chaque pĆ©tale a vĆ©cu son destin. Elle est nĆ©e, a fleurie puis mourut. That being said, I thinkā¦ I just want to live like one. Blossom during my lifetime before I die.
[She exhaled loudly, running her fingers through her hair, a few locks that fell from her messy bun, before looking back at Casto.]
Life is way too short for it to be wastedā¦ I meanā¦ it might be too idealistic or letās say optimistic, only thinking about your own happiness. Yet, being happy isnāt directly linked to being healthy. Uhmā¦ One must value their well-being too, right? You mentioned something about being unhealthy in the pastā¦ Hmā¦ That doesnāt necessarily mean that you were unhappy though.Ā [Giggling, she bit her lip, realizing that she was the one babbling too. Stealing a glance at her watch, she took another sip of her drink, a weak smile on her lips.]
Iāmā¦ Iām gonna have to get going soon. I canāt be late for my lesson.
[Casto looked down and slightly smiled then nodded as he looked back up at her.]
Actually, it was my wife. She died of cancer. We were together since we were 13. And losing her was probably the most difficult thing I have ever went through.
[He exhaled loudly and pressed his lips together.]
But life goes on. And you have to accept that things donāt always go the way you want them to. I think the most important thing when you lose somebody is to honor them by living a happy life afterwards. [Nodding, he smiled at her then shook her hand.]
I donāt want to make you late for your class. It was nice meeting you, Cassandra.
