waiting.

time went by slowly for her; for the two of them
how often had she been checking the clock?
she thought back to when he first walked in
what time had it been?

i'm glad that you could make it.
i'm sorry to have kept you waiting.

she had been expecting him, hadn't she?
maybe she just knew that he was on his way
maybe there wasn't a specific time
her coffee had been much warmer, though
and he was sorry
to have kept her waiting
waiting.
the average person spends 45 to 62 minutes a day waiting
she had been waiting for this day
this day in this room with this man
which is why she was glad that he could make it
she was in love but she was leaving
which is why he was sorry to have kept her waiting
because he knew that she had to be somewhere else, very soon
he knew that she had waited for more necessary things
as inevitable as waiting is, he felt guilty that she had to wait
for flowers to grow
for the bank teller
for test results
for him
in 70 years, the average person spends at least 3 years waiting.
she was twenty-four.
(to be continued)