the table

The light grew warmer as time went on. She patiently waited for him to make himself known, politely telling the waitress to give her a few more minutes. Her watch mocked her as the hours kept passing making it clear that she should give up all hope. He was late, again. He was always late.

She grabbed the coffee in front of her and started to observe the surroundings. This place was full of happiness and laughter, she felt so isolated from the rest of the shop. Loneliness consumed her thoughts and she allowed a few tears to slide down her cheek. The couple beside her was holding hands intent on their conversation with each other, they looked so in love. The perfect family of four on the opposite side of the room was laughing about their days and catching up on life. People walked in and out yet she remained. She was waiting to see a more familiar set of feet step inside the door.

Constantly disappointed, he always did this to her.

Love had made an attempt to pursue her at one point in time. Ever since then she has run away from the touch of every hand, believing that more harm than good can come out of another human being. She longed to reach out for anothers contact but fear consistently erases that desire. Love always disappoints, always twists truths into lies. Her experience was crippling. So many awful things are done in the name of love.

A hand was placed on the empty chair in front of her. She sat still as her position did not change, coffee still in hand looking down. Fear took over when the figure sat down. The desire to look at this stranger was fought until she gave in. It was a man, an unknown man there to interrupt her thoughts and the potential arrival she had been waiting countless hours for. His face was tender and welcoming but she would have no part of it, there was so much distrust rooted in her heart from the last man who had been in her life. Curiosity was the basis for the questions he let float around in the air. An answer was expected but not given for she had no time to explain her reasoning behind why she was there.

He voiced her peculiar behavior every time the door opened and her noticeably solemn face. Anger rose up within her chest and coursed through her entire being. How dare he watch her disappointment, she wanted to be left alone. No one would ever understand how lonesome she had become and how she had mastered the bitter art of shutting people out. His hand crossed the middle of the table and sought to comfort her, he could see the pain in her eyes. She secretly wished he would never leave. Her heart was too guarded to accept any form of pity but she desperately desired to feel okay again.

Her walls came down after carefully worded phrases had been spoken along with the sweet gesture of buying more coffee. She began to open up with a general explanation of who she was waiting on. He gently prodded, wanting to know more about her and her desire to wait so long. His patience intrigued her. The story she had hidden for so long was spoken of in great detail. She had expected him to leave as most usually did but instead he leaned in closer, asking more questions. His calm expression handed out this concept of grace she had never been able to grasp until now. The realization of her melancholic life was based on being able to forgive and apply grace, this was love.

As she was waiting on the man that taught her there was no such thing as love, she found it.