Very unusual lunch but but very pleasant company

Submitted into Contest #225 in response to: Write a story about someone coming across their doppelganger.... view prompt

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Fiction Friendship Inspirational

Night before i felt so alone.  Was tossing from side to side, meditating, counting sheep’s, during a glass of wine and nothing seemed to help.  My mind was bouncing from one thought to the next.  I finally had to get up.

Pick up a pen and …looked at the empty piece of paper. And now what I asked myself.  Now I have nothing to say.  I only told him hundred words to leave me alone and..now when I am ready to saying I have nothing, absolutely no words to express myself my anger I felt last night.

I put pen down and went back to bed.  There was nothing I could do.  Just close your eye and maybe, just maybe I will fall asleep.

Finally after 10 am got myself out of the room and set on an edge of the pool wondering if I should jump in or just lounging around and enjoy the sun.  It was a gorgeous sunny day as usual in beautiful state of Florida.

I closed my eyes and lift my face up toward the sun.  It felt so good.  I love the warmth of morning sun.  Usually stay out until noon and rest of the day go shopping or walk along sandy beaches.  I felt human presence, opened my eyes.  Two men approached me, one set on my left, the other on my right.  Not too close but enough to start a conversation.  I opened my eyes and glance to my my left. An older gentleman set there staring at me.

The minute I opened my eyes right away he said hi, how are you? Peachy, hi applied back to him smiling.  I like chatting so I continued.  Warm water -going for a swim?  No, I prefer seating next to gorgeous lady.  I think I rolled my eyes and turned toward young man on my right, no older than 18 

I assumed.  He had this smirking smile on his face so I asking him.  Is this you father teaching you how to pickup ladies?  There was a silence for awhile, neither man said a word.  I stood up and left for lounge chair where all my papers were scattered around.  

Minute later young man sat beside me still not speaking but I could see he was nervous.  

Are you here alone or with family I finally asked him.  His face was already bursting red.  This is my first and possibly last vacation before I am heading for college.  It was my twenty first birthday gift from my grandmother.  She said, go enjoy your life before you burry yourself in studies.  

She knows you well -I said.  I see you are not the wild party person.  He laughed but his face turned ever redder. 

Rest of our conversations was all about me.  He wanted to know everything about me.  He was curious where was I from, he said, he loved to hear me talking with my unusual accent.  He was fascinated with my notebooks, loose papers scattered around my lounge chair.  He was wondering if I am a writer.

I am not a writer but love to write everything.  Whats on my mind I write on a paper.

It’s so fascinating because I also likes to write my live experiences- he said

Every day before I fall asleep, I write what happened to me that day.  It’s like a dairy but I don’t put dates or time just continue write as it was a continuous story.

If I don’t write down I can’t fall asleep.  Writing is like dumping all my stresses down, some people use meditation to relax, I write and when I am done, I feel my mind is empty and ready to face another day.

Wow!  I feel the same way.  My mind wonders everywhere before I go to bed.  I lie there for hours not able to fall asleep until I seat down and write down what’s on my mind.  I smiled looking straight into his eyes.  We have so much in common it’s almost as I am looking at myself in your body.  He smiled back.

I have second thoughts about what to study in college.  I enrolled in computers/math but I really don’t like it-and he asked for my opinion. 

Funny you asked.  I also studies computers and wrote many essays on a side or for my English composition class.  For my graduation my English teacher print out all my stories and created a soft copy book for me to remind myself- never give up writing even thought English was my second language. And sometimes didn’t sound right.  Of course she corrected it for me before publishing in local school weekly flier.

I took his hand - it was sweaty but I wouldn’t let go.  You will never know what your future will hold but you will find computers everywhere those days, they are on top of all.  The best solution - You can’t loose.  You can still write, and if you good enough publish it.  Make sure first copy is mine though I laughed.  He laughed too and quickly withdrew his hand from mine.

He wanted to know more about me.  He didn’t know I was married with children at home.  I didn’t wanted to volunteer the status of my current life.   The easiest  way to end this….whatever you can call it.. Acquaintances ?   I am hungry got to go.  I finally said it loud for him to hear. It was a pleasure to meets and I hope you will continue to write and study hard.

I got up and started walking away, but all my papers flew up all over the pool area.  Some even fell in side the pool. Most of the men around us, jumped to help pick up my mass.  The older gentleman jumped into -oil to getter pages from water.  They wet but maybe still readable and hang them all to me.  Maybe you should just let them dry up on your towel.  Splendid idea and I smiled back to him.  I spread out all papers on one towel and covered with another in case wind pick up and blew them all around again.  I waved good bye and started to walk away.

 Wait !- he yelled out.  Let me buy a lunch.  No escape….

We walked to nearest restaurant Wendy.  It was only a block away but we both felt awkward so neither spoke until were inside where he bought us a lunch.  

It was weird to seat there.  Didn’t have much to say.  We ate seating there in silence.  It was better that way.  He was a delightful young man.  But then what?  

We don’t even know each other’s name.🤪. Not kidding.

November 22, 2023 19:45

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1 comment

18:42 Nov 27, 2023

You chose this under the doppelganger section so perhaps I was hoping for that. While it contained none of that, I admired the quiet relationship between the stranger and your main character. She had this whole life at home: married with children. But I could tell she wanted to escape for a while. Sometimes we all seek a kind of escape which is good. Still, I believe working on some of your shorter sentences to make more sense will be a good thing. There were some grammatical errors as well which, I think, a good sweep might clear out. ...

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