Meredith had heard nothing but great reviews from friends who’d travelled for both business and pleasure. How patient and fluent the male teacher had been, apart from several comments from her female friends that had mention his physical beauty as an added beauty. A reminder of her recent divorce. The bare hand and foreign last name that she now used weren’t enough reminders of how she was now free to relearn this world on her own. A scary thought she had never anticipated or desired. Forty year old divorcee wasn’t supposed to be her title, and yet, she had done her best to ensure that her children and friends only saw glimpses of forced smiles and fake laughter. They couldn’t know how completely frightened she was. Her daughter spoke of Tinder before she carefully dropped the news that her father, Meredith’s ex-husband, had already found himself a date. With a little force, she had found out that the woman was ten years younger than her. An app to speak to people her daughter explained as the information filtered through one ear and out the other, and the more she thought of it, she believed that perhaps she was more eager to leave because she would escape all those who chose to dig the knife deeper with innocent remarks about how time wasn’t on her side.
Words cut through the blonde’s reverie all too sharply, forcing the woman to blink herself back to consciousness. “Excuse me?” she spoke softly, azure gaze meeting that of a younger male before her. “You must be Theodore?” she questioned, rising to her feet and extending her hand towards his. They had chosen to meet in a cafe, or she had, as she believed it could be a quiet and private atmosphere for them to speak. They’d discussed prices and the gist, but if she were to spend the time it would take to learn another language with this man, she only found it right to get to know him first. “I already ordered, but I would love to buy you a coffee or something to eat. What would you like?”
Boots on the ground; the saying now had a different meaning than it did to most. How long had he been rooted here, stuck in one place where he was forced to itch the mental fidgets and aches that had tickled his gray matter over the past few months? A part of him worried he would forever be stuck there, sinking into the quicksand of time that seemed to only swallow him by the ankles, refusing to allow him to budge.
The chilled autumn air nipped at the tips of his ears, like little teeth leaving red imprints where the skin and flesh were thin, easier to break. Perhaps he should have known better; instances such as this had happened before when he was writing novels, and in this moment he knew not to worry himself into oblivion. He’d reach the top of another mountain--literal or metaphorical--shortly. That much he could reassure himself of.
Tugging the collar of the denim jacket about the nape of his neck, the mountaineer stopped before the glass window of the cafe he was set to meet a new client. Although he had never meet her before, he knew her within first sight.
He hung back for a brief moment, bright eyes noticing the manner in which the lighting of the cafe radiated off of her blonde hair. While she did not notice him nor look in his direction, he recognized the intensity of her stare, noting how it seemed to freeze time around all else. It had been quite some time since he had experienced such a jolting, muted instance as this, and with the brief spell broken, he regained the ability to move from his spot on the sidewalk.
A worn set of fingers gripped and opened the door, the bell sounding overhead as he entered the small establishment. He threw a warm smile to the woman behind the counter, and she returned the gesture. Over the months he had become well acquainted with the staff of various cafe’s staffs, although he had frequented this one far more often.
In a fluid motion, the man made his way to where the blonde from the window was sitting. He introduced himself as he sat down across from her, although she didn’t seem to notice at first, and a smiling sort of smirk cracked across his lips.
“The very one,” Theodore replied as he stood again, extending his hand to meet hers for a brief yet firm shake. At her offer, he felt the corners of his lips stretch a bit further, and he pressed a hand to his chest. “Oh no, that’s quite alright. Thank you, though.”
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