Mayfield Square

The sun rose early that morning shining its golden rays through the apartment window. Her eyes groggily peeled open in annoyance of her Saturday’s interruption. “Not the best way to wake up if you ask me,” she muttered to herself. Like every day, she pulled back the covers, stretched her arms out to the side then stepped out of bed trying to motivate herself for the day ahead. “Not enough sleep…” she murmured to herself. Just a week before, she promised to meet a long ago friend which she hadn’t seen since middle school. Time had a way of tearing people apart and bringing them together, but it depends which outlook to choose from. She always had lived near Mayfield Square, conveniently, only a mile away. Part of her dreaded meeting someone she hadn’t seen in forever. How much different would he be? She shrugged her shoulders thinking, ‘why should it matter? It’s just coffee.’ And that was true, they were only meeting at Mayfield Square for a cup of coffee. It was no big deal, she trusted that she wouldn’t have to be there very long if she chose to politely leave. But judging from the fact she felt discombobulated from lack of sleep and little time, she felt more compelled to cancel but she knew it wouldn’t be fair. In fact, she wasn’t sure where he was traveling from which could be a problem. She liked to arrive early to events but today was her first time getting behind schedule. This brought another issue to mind after a moment's thought. What would she wear? She sighed at all the stresses of meeting an old friend. She hoped this would be worth it. In the corner of her closet, she dug through a pile of clothes she neglected to wash and hang up. Within a few minutes, she pulled out a sleeveless black button sundress and a jean jacket paired with red flats. Nodding to herself in the mirror, she felt sophisticated yet casual. “Perfect,” she whispered to herself. She nodded thinking how easy that was. The rest would be the same, or at least she hoped. Checking her watch, her eyes widened. She was going to be late. In fact, how had she lost track of time and become forty-five minutes behind schedule? Just twenty minutes before she was dabbing on a nude lip color and some mascara to make the outfit complete. But time slipped from her within that time frame and now she was dealing with the rush of being late. Turning off the apartment lights and locking the front door, she rushed to her car door and hopped in. Starting her Lexus engine, she stepped on the peddle hoping the speed limit would match her needs to get there on time, although she knew there wasn’t much hope of that. Just as the car left the garage, it stopped suddenly saying “no gas” on the right corner of the grid. She clenched her jaw realizing her mistake. How could she have forgotten? She shook her head thinking ‘today of all days’. She forgot to fill it after leaving her sister’s house the day before. Taking a moment to collect her emotions, she shrugged and got out of the car. “I guess I’m going to walk. It’s within town, I think I can make it.” At least, she hoped she would get there somewhat within the hour. It was the worst feeling in the world being late and having someone else’s time wasted. She hoped he would be understanding. It’s true, she couldn't help the situation, so the only thing left for her to do was continue to the coffee shop. But this morning felt like a disaster already with all the problems. As she started to walk, her thought rumbled with self doubt thinking this whole meeting would be a mistake. Her hair was getting frizzy from the humidity, the dress was sticking to her back, and her mood was becoming more and more irritated. A few minutes rolled on before she walked into the coffee shop. The walk there passed by quickly and her stress calmed down. The smell of strong coffee and the loud buzz of voices was the first thing she noticed when she entered. It wasn’t half as bad after all. Shaking the dust off her feet, she reflected that she should be in a better mood. What else could she do? Plus, a fresh cup of coffee would shake up her morning in a good way. Remembering the reason she came, she looked around the crowded chairs and tables, she steadied her breath seeing a man in a blue plaid shirt and cargo pants. His back was to her, so she decided to walk up and tap his shoulder. “Ehem, excuse me? Charlie?” Her voice was shaky but she straightened her shoulders to boost the last bit of confidence she had left. He turned around and his dark eyebrows shot up in confusion. “And who are you?” A second too late and she realized her mistake. “Oh my, I am so sorry. I thought you were someone else!” She scurried away in embarrassment hoping to leave the coffee shop. She knew she couldn’t leave because there still was a small chance Charlie was still in the shop. ‘Please be here, please…’ she thought. But did he leave before she arrived? Maybe he was tired of waiting and decided she had bailed on him. Sighing, she took a seat near a corner window, and looked around the room. Just as she peered over the booth seat, a young man strolled into the coffee shop. His hair was chestnut brown tousled from the wind, eyes were bright with a few eye fine wrinkles, and a kind smile. Seeing his familiar smile, she laughed happily to see him. Their eyes locked eyes and he nodded before heading her way. And he smiled, “Hey, I’m Charlie. I am so sorry I’m late.” She smiled. “Me too.”

Story written by Aubrey Thomas