One Spring Day

Sprinting along the path, his shoulder bag bouncing against his hip and his coat flapping open against the wind, Ryan nearly collided with a lady, who was trying to keep her balance on the icy surface in impossibly high, scarlet heels.

“Oh, I’m so sorry”, he said breathlessly as he brushed past her.

She smiled as she wobbled, waving her arms in the air, and he noticed that her eyes were the color of cornflowers. Grinning back, he paused and started to run his fingers through his hair, remembering at the last moment that the beanie his grandma had knitted him last year from left over wool, was perched on his head.

“Hi…’, he started to say, but the bus, smoke billowing from the exhaust in thick grey clouds, shot past him.

‘…. I’ve got to go, sorry!”, he called over his shoulder, as he continued his run, making sure to put each foot carefully on the path.

The line of passengers was shorter than normal, huddling closer together than they normally would, and moved quickly on board.

“No, wait, wait!”, Ryan yelled, increasing his pace as the bus started to pull away from the curb and into the traffic.

His shoe slipped on a patch of ice, the rubber sole making no difference to the grip.

“Whoa!”, he yelled, swinging his arms out wide as he felt himself fly through the air.

The ground felt even harder, and definitely more colder than normal as he landed, full length on his back, across the path, his bag landing with a thud alongside him.

Groaning, he groped for his phone, inside his coat pocket. He had to make sure it wasn’t damaged. The screen had a crack across its length and, as he watched, the battery level reached three per cent, and it switched itself off.

“Oh, seriously”, he muttered to himself. Now how could he call work? They'd think he was late again.

“Hello’, said a voice,’ are you okay?”.

Looking away from his mobile, Ryan saw the lady with cornflower blue eyes looking down at him, smiling.

“Um, I’m not really sure’ he said, hastily sitting up, trying to straighten his coat’ it’s a bit too early to tell”.

He glanced at her impossibly high, scarlet heels,” How do you keep upright in them, while I'm sliding all over the place?”.

“It’s the first time I’ve worn them’ she said,’ I thought as it’s the first day of spring, a splash of color might brighten the day, and cheer everyone up”.

Carefully he stood, rubbing his hands along his lower back and bum which were numb, hopefully only from the cold.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”, the lady asked, still smiling, as she started to walk towards the bus stop, her heels clicking against the ice.

“I’m sure I’ll live”, Ryan answered.

Silently, they stood next to each other, shoulders almost touching.

Think of something to say, he thought to himself as he noticed her glance at him out the corner of her eye, and then turn a dark shade of pink.

“Do you work in the city?”, he asked, suddenly feeling warm. Stupid question- where else would she be going?, he thought, clicking his tongue against his teeth.

“My dad does that as well”, she answered.

“Excuse me?”.

“The clicking of the tongue, it’s just something my dad does as well”, she said, turning an even darker shade of pink, so her face looked like she had sunburn.

“Oh, right, I see”, Ryan said, looking away and staring in front of him.

He felt her sigh next to him.

“I work in the city, I just normally catch an earlier bus, but I’m a bit slow today”, she said, trying again at conversation, and glancing down at her heels.

Ryan nodded, again with a smile and was about to answer when something out of the corner of his eye, caught his attention.

There was a large snowbank slightly behind them, where the snow and ice had been shoveled to clear the path during the winter, so the pedestrians could walk easily past those waiting at the bus stop. The bright sunshine was streaking through the clouds scattered in the sky, and was just starting to touch the icy ground.

The snow and ice at the top of the snowbank was glistening, and starting to melt.

Ryan glimpsed something red.

“Hey, look at that”, he said to the lady, and after glancing back to make sure there were no waiting passengers about to take his spot in the line, he strolled to the snowbank and wiped his hand along the ice, looking at the redness peeking through.

It was a flower growing in the snow, it’s tiny petals just about to open as the sun reached it, it's stem buried deep in the ice.

Smiling, he looked back at the lady, who was watching him. The flower was the same color and shade as her impossibly high heels.

Blowing gently on his fingertips to warm them, and wishing that he’d worn a pair of gloves that morning, Ryan tried to dig the flower free.

The snow and ice was cold and hard. His fingertips were soon frozen as he scratched at the surface.

“Maybe this could help?”, the lady asked, standing behind him, holding a metal nail file between her thumb and forefinger.

“Thanks”, he said, gripping the end of the nail file and digging into the snow and ice, freeing the little flower, it’s petals paper thin and delicate.

He held it up, in the palm of his hand.

“I’m Ryan by the way”, he said, as he held his hand out to the lady, offering her the flower.

Smiling, she scooped it up and placed it on her own hand.

“And I’m Rose”.

Another bus, more smokier and louder than the last, pulled up at the curb.

“Maybe we should get to work?”, Ryan asked, nodding towards it.

Together they boarded, Rose still cradling the flower.

“I bet this has made you day now”, she said, as they moved towards the back where there were two vacant seats next to each other.

“That’s for sure’ Ryan said, placing his shoulder bag on his lap out of the way,’ it’s definitely put the spring back in my step”.