Among the orchids pt. 1

     For the past few weeks in February, the weather hadn’t been great. Mostly cold and windy, a few days of breakthrough rays, but overall just weather that made you want to stay under your covers with something warm and watch your favorite movie. However, on this particular day, the weather was gorgeous and all of New York City was taking advantage. Eric lives in the Bronx and worked mostly from home, which gave him a lot more flexibility in his schedule. He decided, instead of staying inside all day, he would take a trip to the botanical gardens. He really only needed his phone in case he got any work calls, his planner, and his notebook. He wasn’t generally the type to go on solo adventures, but the sunshine was calling his name, so he obliged. He got in his car and took the 15 minute drive through his neighborhood to the gardens, parked, and walked to his destination. Eric hadn’t spent much time in this area and it had been years since he’d been to the gardens, so it was nice to get out for a few hours and surround himself with the new scenery. He had his headphones on as he walked through, stopping every so often to admire the exhibits and reading the plaques that accompanied them. After a few minutes, he took a break at a nearby bench to rest his feet before continuing on. As he sat collecting himself, he looked up across the orchids and saw her there in her yellow raincoat and their eyes met. They smiled at each other politely before she turned back to her friends and rejoined the conversation. They continued their journey and he sat and watched as they blended in with the rest of the crowd. Eric looked down and smiled to himself but eventually brushed it off as a chance encounter. He had seen thousands of beautiful women in New York City, and she was just one more. After a few more minutes of relaxation, he continued his journey. He checked his phone a few times along the way to see if any emails had come through but nothing of any significance, to which he was relieved. He was however starting to get hungry, so he checked the time and decided this would be his last lap, before heading back to the exit. As he made his way back, he looked over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of that familiar yellow raincoat and the beautiful woman who was wearing it. They caught eyes across the cacti and this time he was determined to make himself known. He didn’t want to be too forward, as she was with company, but he didn’t want to let the moment pass yet again. Eric patted his pockets and checked his bag for something to write with, but of course nothing. He had packed all the things he needed for work except that. In the midst of his search, he looked up and saw an information booth where he quickly approached it and asked for a pen. The worker handed him one, and Eric jotted down his name and number, before handing it back. 

“Thank you!” he said and you could tell by his tone, that he was just that. Thankful. 

He rushed back to where he had seen the young woman, but that signature raincoat was nowhere to be found. He saw a guard standing at the entrance to an exhibit not far from where the woman had been, so he took a chance and approached her.