The first time I saw her, I was sipping my usual black coffee at Eclipse Café, a small, warm-lit spot hiding in between two busy bookstores. Tom's Bookstore is my favorite bookstore and the reason is because it has all kinds of genres I love to read. On this day, I sat at Eclipse Cafe, which wasn't too far off the bookstore, trying to remember where I kept the new book I just purchased.
"Yes, I remember taking it out of the bookstore, spoke to Ellen, walked to the park, and what next?" I had these thoughts to myself as I traced back my steps and then took a sip from my black coffee.
It was then she walked in like a quiet wonder, the kind that sneaks up on you bearing good news. Her black hair dances in the breeze and her dark skin shines as the ray of the sun touches it. It was an unforgettable moment.
She kept turning around like someone looking for a lost child. I watched her closely as she turned in my direction; I immediately looked away.
She made her way towards my table and the voice that sounded like music without any instrument said, "Is this chair taken?"
"Uhn?" was the sound I made. I raised my head to look at her face and I was met with a smile—a smile that made me forget all of my worries. "Yes, yes, it's not taken. No one is here; it's absolutely free." The more I talk, the more I realize how awkward the whole situation is.
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She sat down opposite me, then ordered a caramel latte, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she flipped through the menu she clearly didn’t need. "Is she planning on ordering something else?" I thought to myself as I looked at her over my cup and I sipped my coffee.
I couldn’t stop watching her, half wondering if she was real or just a fleeting moment I’d regret not chasing. Moments later, the barista placed her caramel latte in front of her. She lifted the cup, took a slow sip, and then finally met my gaze again.
"You know," she started, tilting her head slightly. "You know, I didn't just come to sit here because there was no other chair in the cafe; I followed you all the way from Tom's bookshop."
I almost choked on the sip of my coffee. I looked at her then said, "Sorry, you did what?"
"Yeah, I followed you all the way from the bookstore because I have something that belongs to you," she said with a smile that made me forget if she was a danger to me.
"Uhmmm, why? I was just wondering if you were looking for someone immediately after you entered the cafe and I know I am not handsome enough to attract a beautiful lady like you to my table," I said, trying to act confident and tough.
She chuckled, "I think you left something that's yours, which made me come after you, not like I was stalking though. I noticed you when you picked "The Green Mantle Book" from the shelf, made your payment the surf through the other shelf".
I was listening to her, wondering where all this story was heading.
"You kept the book you bought on the shelf." She reaches into her bag and then brings out the book I have spent so many hours looking for. "So sorry, I was just rambling without telling you my name. My name is Tiwatope; here is your book." She then handed over the book to me.
I took the book from her and went through the pages with excitement written all over my face. "Thank you, thank you so so much. You have no idea how much I have been looking for this book."
"By the way, I am Fash. It's nice to meet you; I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't met you today." I said to her.
"Nice to meet you, Fash." She reached out her hand, and we shook. "I’m Tiwatope again."
We continue to converse for hours without realizing how far the time has gone. After finishing the third round of coffee, we exchanged numbers and promised to meet each other at the cafe the following day.
The end.
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