I was walking to the bus stop very early one morning. As I was nearing the end of the road, where I have to turn right, another woman appeared from the left. She was walking fast, clearly going to the bus stop too. I slowed down so I wouldn´t have to get awkwardly close to her and, as we continued, I ended up about ten meters behind her. That´s when I discovered I had misjudged her pace, she walked slower than I expected and I had to slow down unpleasantly much to stay far enough behind her. She really was annoyingly slow. I shortened my steps and started to worry about missing the bus. She was all dressed in black except for a bright blue cap which seemed like an odd fashion statement. By the time we reached the bus stop I was really fed up with her. None of us pretended to notice the other.
P is my favourite coffee place. Their coffee is the best and I know what I´m talking about, I´ve had coffee on three continents and I pay close attention to detail. So my favourite barista at P is E. She makes me coffee every week and we smile and make small talk. She is the daughter of my childhood best friend, she knows this and so do I. None of us has ever mentioned it.
There are times when I might tell people a little bit more about myself and let them in. Afterwards I usually feel like I have a bad taste in my mouth -- a combination of scared and upset (light). You´ve read Asimov´s The Naked Sun, right? I think I´m becoming a Solarian.
I care. I care about you. I care about you not knowing my name. We´re estranged.
