She loved that shirt. Or I assume she did. And let’s face it…I loved it too. But only because she wore it. Never mind that baby blue is my favorite color. Or that it hadn’t been until I saw it on her.
I saw her at the park. She was walking a beautiful golden retriever. I was reading at the time, but I stopped to watch her throw a neon tennis ball out into the grassy lawn. The dog wasn’t much of a retriever. It just stared at her as though she’d told him the most uninteresting story imaginable.
And while the dog may have been unimpressed, I was transfixed. Who was this blue-shirted beauty and why was she in my park? I always come here, see, and I know, or at least recognize, everyone who also comes here. It’s a small, secluded park. Its patrons are few. And she was new.
I closed my book and set it aside a moment. I was too distracted to read now anyway. The girl in blue demanded my full attention. No half measures would do.
Now, the dog had yet to even acknowledge the existence of the tennis ball. In fact, it seemed to me to be more a cat than a retriever. The girl gestured out towards the ball and made a showy throwing motion, but the dog was wise to her ways. He showed no sign of caring and, as if to physically portray this apathy, he stretched out on the ground and rolled gracelessly to his side.
The girl in blue admitted defeat and trudged to recover the ball. I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but there was something about this angelic creature. The baby blue spoke of a kind spirit and I just knew if I didn’t speak to her, I would regret it.
So I stood. I walked down towards her, forgetting my book, leaving it behind me. And as I approached, the dog perked up. A sign! Fate was on my side. When I was a mere ten yards away, the dog jumped up and ran at me. But instead of stopping to greet me, he bolted right past without a glance in my direction. The girl followed swiftly behind. She didn’t make eye contact, but I could see her eyes matched her shirt. And the spark I saw in them ignited a small spark in my own.
As I turned to say something to her, I saw her dog jump up and paw at the chest of a stranger behind me. The girl in blue tried to get the dog to calm down, but the stranger said not to worry about it; he loved dogs. They started talking as though they were dear friends who had been apart for years.
And as the gorgeous empty sky grew full and gray, I wondered if I had time to finish my chapter.