When Life Play With Us

This is a very short something that popped out of my mind. 

I really hope you will like this. Sorry for any errors, horrors... I really tried to catch them all.

I want to say thank you so much to Hopeful Sapphire. She helped me a lot. You are awesome! :)

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When Life Play With Us...

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"I only want a hot chocolate with non fat milk."

I paid and waited for my order. As usual, I began to watch the people in the establishment. They were all present like every other night. It was easy to find the usual strangers who came along almost every day or night. The lonely humans who came along to just forget their cruel and rude reality for a couple of minutes or the students who seek their must needed caffeine dosage for a long night of work and studies. The couples that wanted to share a moment with some coffee and snacks in front of them couldn’t be absent and the ones who were in a perpetual hurry and didn't have time to say good night. And finally the people like me who blend into the scenery and no one notices them.

Most of the time I was fine for to be unnoticed because it gave me the opportunity to watch and learn. But, on other occasions, I couldn't help but feel that life was running ahead of me. I was running, trying to grab it, and it slipped through my fingers every time. In those moments, I tend to go back to my observer role and not live, not participate, to just be.

It was absolutely and irrevocably depressing. My brain knew it, but it was like my body didn't want to go along with my brain. I was just too tired of everything, too tired of fighting and running; too tired.

This was one of those tired nights. I was functioning on automatic mode. I was doing the same thing as last night. I'd even brought a book with the intention of reading it. But my mind wandered to Blank Land. I sipped my beverage and let life run its course around me. I sighed, filled with loneliness. I glanced at the clock. It was almost time to go and end the day.

"Excuse me."

I registered some seconds later that those two words were directed to me. I blinked and turned my attention to the source of the voice. I nodded at him. He was a normal looking guy. He was a man who didn't stand out much. He looked like a working hard fellow seeking for some relaxing time. I stared at him and waited for him to say anything else.

"Can I sit with you?"

"Huh?"

"Yes, it is a little bit crowded here."

"Yeah, sure."

I couldn't understand why I'd let him sit at my table. The place wasn't crowded at all. He seemed to understand my confusion.

"I'm sorry, it was a lame excuse."

"You think?"

He chuckled a little and smiled at me. He sipped his coffee and gestured at my book.

"I just saw you with that book, and I couldn't stop wondering why you'd brought it here and never read it?"

"What? How do you know that I never read it?"

"I like to observe people. I have learned a lot just watching everyone."

"You just sounded like a creep."

He laughed at me. It was unsettling that he liked to do the same thing as me. The worst of all this was that I hadn't noticed him at all. I couldn't remember him.

"You are right; I sounded and acted like a creep. By the way, my name is Michael."

"Okay. Nice to meet you, Michael."

"What should I call you?"

"Mmm! I don't know. Give me a name."

"Hah? You are not going to tell me your name?"

"Creep and clever. That is a pretty scary combination."

He laughed again. Against my common sense, I began to like his laugh.

"Understood! Well... Let's see. What should I name you?"

He looked at me with his scrutinizing eyes. That was the first time I noticed his eyes. They looked like dark honey color mixed with bits of green with sunrays gold specs. They were amazingly beautiful. He just kept staring at me.

"I know now."

"Really?"

"Yes"

"Well, tell me."

"Zelena."

"What? Selena?"

"No, Zelena with Z"

"What is the difference?"

"The meaning of the word and the language."

He picked up my empty cup with his. He threw them in the garbage can and returned to where I was.

"I'll see you around, Zelena. Sweet dreams."

"Good night."

I looked at his retreating form. What a strange guy. I couldn’t stop the little smile that appeared on my face. “Zelena. Do I look like a Zelena with Z?”

I picked up my purse and my book. I looked at it. “I got to read this damn book!”

That night, I left the store surprised and stunned. This Michael had come out of nowhere and made the hours slip away in the blink of an eye.

Later that night, with my pj's on and my PC turn on in front of me. I kept staring at the web page. There were several meanings of Zelena: goddess of the moon, light, green, etc. (1)

I was no goddess that much I was certain of. “How could he know I was a light person?” If you asked my parents they would agree with that word immediately. “Green... Green.” I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"He was talking about my eyes," I said that to nobody. I was alone in my apartment. I let out a chuckle. I liked my new name.

It was a different night. That was the first time that life decided to touch me, or, better yet, that was the first time that life let me touch her.

And I did have sweet dreams that night.

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(1) I looked up that word Zelena. The sites for baby names said the meaning of Zelena in Greek was the Moon goddess another site said it was light. On google translate when you write green and pick croatian; it translated to zelenilo but the other option was zelena boja. So there you have a little bit of explanation to that word. If I'm wrong well I'm sorry, but I based my decision on what I found on the net. If anyone could explain it better to me I would be absolutely happy.