The City

                             

The City
                                                                           

The City
Another glorious day created, The City enjoyed the waning moments of daylight while its inhabitants rushed to and fro through its throughways,’ sidewalks and subways.  Alas, this was the time when The City could reflect on the gloriousness of itself and all that it had created while the laborers returned home to their families, prepared suppers and enjoyed the fruits of their labor for which The City had provided them.  As The City arranged for the evenings final events, sunset and moonrise, the vague familiarity of solitude found its way into The City’s peripheral.    This will not do it thought to itself; this will not do at all……


Her
She walked alone, thoughts to herself as if on an island and an emotional island it was for she had yet to feel a connection to the city in which she now called home.  She had moved there with the anticipation of finding work, companionship and hope.  What she found was growing debt, isolation and despair.  As she weaved her way invisibly through the throngs of The City’s passerby she envisioned another evening alone, heartbreakingly alone.


Him
He had lived in The City his whole life.  Head down, shoulders slumped he navigated his way through The City by memory.  He passed the coffee shops, newsstands and the local tavern, filled with conversations that would forever be forgotten by tomorrow.  He heard none of it.  He saw none of it.  He was a man coasting through an empty life with no-one to spell his loneliness.  He found his way home and thus began the next in a series of evenings that were unremarkable. 


Her
Having suffered through yet another day of inconsequence, she prepared herself a meal, ate, bathed and made her way to bed.  After completing her reading for the night, she fluffed both sides of her pillow which had been her habit for years and silently wept into it.  A habit recently acquired.


The City
Having witnessed the somber events of these two inhabitants, The City readied itself for the coming day and the challenges that were to be provided.  As it had done since the dawn of time The City summoned the presence of the sun and thus began a new day.  A new challenge had presented itself and The City could not abide to let any challenge go unmet.  Thus the day was christened and those same homebound citizens that had gone unnoticed by Him and Her only the day before now made their ways to their respective trades.  The morning started as any other for The Citizens, newspapers were bought and sold, and coffee made then remade all the while the sun shone brightly through the cloudless skies.  The warmth of the day beat down on the cyclists trying to get an edge on their day by squeezing in their morning exercise.  Runners embraced the warm weather some wearing nothing more than old college shirts, shorts and whichever new shoe that happened to be “hot” for the moment.  Housewives merrily made their way outdoors to tend to the needs of their Hydrangea, Ranunculus and Chrysanthemum unaware of what The City had in store for them as the day progressed.


Him
Sitting behind his desk now his thoughts wondered to the past where he imagined what his life could have been rather than what it was.  He considered all of the choices he had made and how he had arrived at this point of despondency.  He gazed blindly out of his window upon The City that stood in front of him thinking of past relationships and how those relationships with so many different women could possibly have the same endings.  He had heard it all “your such a nice guy”, “the time just isn’t right for me” and the line made famous from some long forgotten television series “it’s not you, it’s me”.  This was a man who had a tender hart to offer to the right woman, a man who would gladly pour his soul out to the right woman if only she would present herself.  He had found that delicate utterances whispered while love-making did not a relationship make.  Experience had taught him be weary of opening himself up to someone too soon.  A hand gently shook his shoulder—a co-worker informing Him of yet another meeting in another room on the same topic.  His thoughts traveled with him as he obligingly followed.


Her
Her day nearly complete she allowed herself a moment to consider her options.  Although she was young times had changed.  It was no longer taboo for a woman to initiate the first step when eyeing a man that caught her fancy.  Was it possible that her lack of pro-activity had brought her to her current state?  Is it possible that in a new city one can reinvent oneself into a person that was more self-confident and less reserved? Would it be fraudulent of her to present such a person to the world knowing that back home this person would have been exposed immediately?  Certainly she understood now what she had TO do.  She was less sure of what she WOULD do.  The end of the business day was at hand and perhaps it was time, she thought, for some reprogramming.  The wind began to pick-up outside of her window as she gathered her belongings.


The City
It was time.  On two opposite sides of The City two wounded souls were preparing for what they thought would be yet another evening of solitude.  The City had other plans.  Imagine if you can a thermostat such as one would find in any of the thousands of dwellings located in any city that controlled the flow of cool air and that of hot.  Now imagine that thermostat controlling the temperature, weather and climate of an entire populace and you may have a minute idea of the powers of manipulation The City governed itself with.  It started with only a gentle breeze not large enough to shake a leaf from its limb.  Gradually, the gusts graduated to a sustained wind of anywhere from 15-25 miles per hour.  That same tree that only minutes ago had seemed unwilling to donate its youngling to the cause now danced and swayed to the tune of some invisible piper.  Newspapers wafted through The City’s streets as pedestrians shuddered as the temperature steadily began to decrease.  Although the weather forecast had mentioned nothing of rainfall, the heavy gathering of clouds above nonetheless began assaulting the unsuspecting multitude of The City’s inhabitants.  Thoroughly soaked, the streets emptied as the unprepared citizens’ found shelter in its various forms.  A restaurateur, who not an hour ago had considered closing early for the day now found himself with more business then she could handle.  A hotel manager busy auditing his days books looked up to find his lobby crowded with those seeking not room accommodations, but accommodations from the storm.  A server at a local coffeehouse who earlier could have been found wiping down tables and stacking chairs was now busy memorizing orders for the multitudes of customers seeking to warm themselves temporarily until this storm abated.  In one such establishment, a young woman manages to find an empty table for two and seats herself finding solace in the company of those around her.

                                                                                     

Him
Arms thrust in pockets, now thoroughly drenched; he spots a small coffee shop and makes his way towards its entrance.  He stops when he arrives and gazes upward at the establishments’ signage floating now on the invisible waves of the wind.  “Par le plus grand des hazards” it reads in French, underneath this, in parenthesis, he reads “By a Simple Twist of Fate”.  He nods, but only to himself and enters. 


The City
The City has observed all of this knowingly and now awaits an interaction that is outside of its control, beyond the limits of even its’ powers.  The City watches… and waits.


Her
She looks up from the magazine in her hands and sees him enter.  As he does so she is familiar with that look on his face.  That look that one gets upon walking into unfamiliar surroundings full of unfamiliar faces.  She watches as his head turns right to left looking for an empty corner table to hide himself in as the weather passes.  His eyes dart right to left, left to right searching but not finding a solitary space.  Their eye’s meet and she unconsciously raises a hand and timidly waves him over. 


Him
His eyes probe the farthest corners of the room.  His choices; either stand as he was, looking for an empty space that was not there or meeting this strangers shy smile with one of his own.  He smiles, brushing away the drops of moisture beading upon his brow. 

                                                                                   
The City
As if bearing witness to the final scene of a play, The City watched intently as these two lost souls perform what it hopes to be a grand finale.  The City had watched many a moment such as the one before it unfold, each with an ending transformed to a new beginning.  So much sorrow in this world, so much loneliness and despair and yet these are the foundations of which hope are built.  The City watched and The City waited as those foundations of hope were erected in a small café, in a large city of immense possibilities.  Hope.
                                                               

Him
He follows his feet to the table where a young woman has beckoned him.  Unsure of what to say he begins with a simple “Hello” and a smile.


Her
Her demeanor transforms upon seeing the smile attached to the man standing before her.  Summoning some new found initiative from deep within she returns the smile and asks him to please have a seat.


They
They smiled and chatted as the rain beat unmercifully against the shops windowpanes.  Oblivious to all they talked.  And hope was born.