ft. sam ( @ofsamuels )
humming along to the song blasting through his airpods, gabriel jogs down the paved path . the sun had rose just hours ago, early morning dew still left on the grass. it’s all still so serene. this is only one of his new habits in the long list of things he’s been trying out recently to better himself – or whatever the lady on youtube said. he found going for a morning run was a better use of his recommended mediation time than sitting in silence or doing yoga. gabriel never liked being alone with his own thoughts – at least here, in the middle of the park there’s plenty of scenery and passersby to keep his thoughts from going too far elsewhere. though, gabriel starts wishing the park was a little bit more empty as he notices a familiar face. he spots samuel, sat on a bench just feet away from him. having held eye contact for just a hair too long. it’s too late to turn around a pretend he didn’t see him – no matter how much he really wanted to just walk right past him, gabriel will have to be polite for once. make small talk. he hates small talk. “hey,” he says slowing his jog, he offers the other a wave. “ i don’t… think i’ve seen you here.” he should know, he runs this path everyday for the past month. “you come here often?” he says in a chuckle – really, he’s just trying to figure out if he’ll need to find a different park.
many people liked to call samuel endrizzi ‘awkward’, but he liked to think he just appreciated things more. people are weird. they built boxes to put one another in, place limitations on what’s acceptable and what isn’t. a pretty face means you get away with more. a bit of charm means no one hates you for It. while samuel appreciated beauty, he also understood people. he saw his subjects for what they were: celebrities who lost themselves years ago, socialites with nothing to do, rivers that ran for miles, clouds that never fully formed, It didn’t matter what he was photographing, painting or sculpting. everything was beautiful to him. but not everyone wanted to hear about It. especially not gabriel.
he was never cruel. not outwardly. samuel could always see an attempt towards being polite, even if It was for societal reasons. but that didn’t make their conversations less awkward. sam would point out something, gabe would look uncomfortable talking with him. and yet, they always did this little dance. this where do we go from here? “i like to watch the sunrise from different places. i suppose i didn’t realize you claimed this one.’ the words could’ve been harsh, but coming from sam... they’re nothing but innocent, almost apologetic. “the only camera here is mine, you know. i won’t be upset if you drop the formalities.” most people have a tell when they’re not being entirely honest with their intentions. gabriel is no different. and yet--- as much as gabriel probably didn’t like sam, he couldn’t say It was mutual.
