Observe

1.     A woman walked by with two bags around her neck. One looked like a regular handbag or purse and the other seems looser, freer. It had the name of your university on it. Thin stitching of thread on what you think of as grey canvas or linen. It only took you a moment to see that she looked tired and unhappy. She walked past you very quickly and then disappeared. Watching her from your seat in the tearoom, you wonder where she went. Maybe she walked into another store or decided to take a rest. Maybe she is out there waiting for someone else that you have not seen you. You try to focus on your notes and the assignment you have to finish by next week.

2.     A young couple – girl and boy – walked inside with their near matching outfits. She smiled and laughed at something he said outside that you could not hear, but you did look up at that laugh. It was attractive; she was attractive. She smiled at you, only for a moment. It is unfortunate that she is with some other guy. Must be boyfriend and girlfriend (green T-shirts; same kind of drab olive color). Who still says, “boyfriend and girlfriend”? Who knows? And why is it that the girl with the two bags was right behind them; is she with them and are they all close friends? The couple moved off. The girl with the two bags has picked up some free magazine at the door that you never read. You wonder what she studies at your school. Science, you think. Something tells you that it is science.

3.     There is a tall, thin, older man who walked into one of the hanging creatures near a book display. He seemed to have walked right into something that resembles a purple bat and he grabbed at his hair. It seemed funnier than it should be because of his bald spot and the purple strands of paper stuck in the tufts surrounding that shiny pink space. You wonder if anyone else saw this. You do not hear any laughter from behind you, but maybe that is because they are stifling their laughter, just like you. You do not think anyone else has noticed. Well, there is one person who has noticed. She held one of her bags in her right hand and covered her mouth with a handkerchief. You saw her teeth between her fingers and the handkerchief – a bandanna with a pattern you recognize – wrapped around her palm. She looked over at you as she laughed, and you looked at her.

4.     She likes the biscotti with the one end dipped in chocolate sauce and the other in some other sort of pudding. Vanilla, you think. She did not like the walnuts, though. She kept trying to drop them on her plate. You are glad that you decided to stop at the tearoom on your way home from work. You were aware that they had some desserts but have never tried them.

5.     She drank something with a large teabag placed on top of the mug and a small ceramic pot with hot water that she adds as soon as it is brought to her table. As the staff passes by, you can smell the delicious odor of her choice. It is Lapsang Souchong, the exact same drink that you have ordered. Her mug had a crack in it. Your mug is also damaged.

6.     When she raised her mug up to her face, she closed her eyes, put her right hand underneath it, and breathed in. She added no sugar to it, but there is something else in the air. Was it perfume? A nice touch that you wonder about as you are about to finish your drink. But there is something you have missed. You looked back into your mug. Empty.

7.     She left after finishing her tea. Her bags were still heavy in her arms. The other couple who left earlier walk by and the man looks inside the tearoom. His partner does not notice this. The old man that you saw earlier has clearer all the purple from his hair. He is also looking at her as she gets up and leaves. She did not clean up her space after she left, and you notice the half-halo of dark lipstick on its outer rim. She is still holding the magazine that they leave in a rack for people who want to read while they drink. It is a local publication about social activities to do in the city, you think. You saw part the title on the white piece of glossy paper that forms the extra half cover and something in white letters on a orange stripe running diagonally along the top as she picked up the magazine and folded it over in her hands. She had blue nail polish – maybe cobalt – with shiny, silvery sparkles.

8.     It was biology; the study of how the body works. She put her textbook on the counter, but never opened it. You were right about science.

9.     Her bag without the school lettering had a sweater inside of it. The air-conditioning was very high, and she put on a red hooded sweatshirt. There were no logos or names on it.

10. She sat two seats down on the right. She was all alone.

11. You were alone, too. You had your books for your assignment and some other notes that you meant to work on. Many other people were there, working on some material for school, or business. It was late in the day, maybe five-thirty.

12. You did not see her again, even though you kept coming to that tearoom. You finished up your project by working there every afternoon after classes. She must have had many exams for her program. It is very hard to always find an excuse to pass by that tearoom on that exact day at that exact time, but you find that you can make a part of your routine if classes end early and you do not have too much to do at home.

13. You still go that tearoom. You become a regular and the staff knows what you like to order. Lapsang Souchong is a very rare choice among their clientele, you are told. You keep that information in your head and wonder about tea, hoodies and the possibilities to be found over a chipped mug.