Sing to Me

Chapter 8

Delilah walked along the stands that held various fruits and vegetables, trying to find a piece of fruit that was ripe and unbruised. Spotting a bright red and yellow nectarine, she grabbed it and began to inspect it. When she felt satisfied with the firmness and overall appearance of the fruit, she walked over to the vendor, gave him a nickel, and was on her way with the nectarine in her hand. 

She walked 2 more blocks down to the park, pulling her jacket closer to her when a gust of wind blew past her. She found an empty bench along the paved walkway, across from the playground. Kids ran around the metal jungle gym, sliding down the slide with chipped paint and swinging on swings. Each child had on a jacket, with some wearing hats and mittens. She smiled at the joyful children and took a seat on the wooden bench. She pulled a book from her tote bag. As she opened her book to the page where she left off, she took a bite of her nectarine and licked the juice that began to run down her chin. 

Although her eyes ran past the lines of the sentence, she wasn't reading the book. Her mind was elsewhere. It had been almost 2 weeks since she met and visited Valentin. It had, also, been almost 2 weeks since she has heard from Valentin. He told her he was going to write, but he had yet to follow through. She wasn't sure why he had not spoken to her. She wrote him last week, asking why he had not written her, but her letter received no reply back. She couldn't think of why he wouldn't write her. He seemed to have liked her when they were talking. Maybe, she read his body language wrong.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard something hit the ground. She looked up and saw an older women looking down at the ground. Delilah's eyes followed her and saw that she was looking down at a walking cane. Assuming the cane belonged to the woman and she lost her grip on it, Delilah stood up and walked over to the woman, picking up the cane and handing it to the woman.

"Here you go, ma'am." Delilah said, handing the cane over to the woman. She looked up into the woman's face and was slightly taken back. The woman wasn't nearly as old as she thought. She was, at the most, in her mid to late 40's.

"Oh, thank you, honey. I'd drop my head if I could." She smiled, gripping the cane in her hand. "What's wrong, dear? It looks like something is troubling you. I'm Rose, by the way."

"Well, Ms. Rose-"

"Just Rose, honey. I ain't old enough for that Miss nonsense."

Delilah giggled. "I'm Delilah. And, I'd hate to load my problems onto you, especially since you don't know me, Rose."

"Delilah, such a pretty name for a young pretty girl. And, I'm a walkin' ear, chil'. I love listenin' to people. Now, come back over to this hear bench and tell me what's botherin' ya."

"Um, it's about a guy."

"Ooooh, a man! Tell me more!" Rose looked at her with genuine interest and excitement."

"Well, we met... through a common person. We started talking to each other through letters about 3 months ago. We met for the first time 2 weeks ago, and I thought he seemed to like me. I liked him, too. But, he hasn't spoken to me since we met. I tried writing him again, but he never wrote me back. Now, I'm very confused about where we stand. We became friends quickly, and it seemed to be getting more serious as time went on. As of now, I'm not so sure about that."

"Let me tell ya somethin', sweetheart," Rose began, "Men are strange creatures. You can study them like you're in college and getting ready for a test, but they're a test that you'll never past. Men always say women are hard to understand, but you can understand women. You can't understand a lick about men. All they need is a little time and patience. Don't give up on this man just yet."

She mulled over older woman's words in her head and let them sink in. Once she realized the accuracy and validity of her words, Delilah smiled. "You're right, Rose. Thank you."

"You're welcome, honey. You're a sweet and beautiful girl, too beautiful to be wondering if a man is interested in you. Of course, he's interested in you. Why wouldn't he be? He'd be stupid not to be." Delilah laughed.

"Goodness, it's getting chilly out here. I ain't used to this cold weather. I'm from Louisiana and I had to move up here." Rose explained.

"Had to?" 

"Yeah, I ha- oh, lordy, look at the time! I ain't even realize how late it was! I'm goin' to be late to my own funeral, I swear it! It was a pleasure meeting you, sweetheart. Here," She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from her oversized purse and began scribbling on it, "This is my number. Call me whenever you need to talk, no matter the time. I'm always at the coffee house at the end of this block, every single Saturday morning. Meet me there next Saturday! We'll have coffee, cake, and finish this conversation. Look at me! Just keep on talkin'! I swear, late to my own funeral, I tell ya! I just stay yappin'! I'll see you later, Delilah sweetheart. And, remember what I told you! Don't go frettin' over these here men!" Rose stood from her seat on the bench, grabbed her cane, and began to walk away, continuing to mutter about how she's always late and always talking.

"Bye, Rose.Thank you, again." Delilah waved. She stayed seated on the bench, laughing to herself about the eccentric woman she just conversed with. When Rose was out of sight, she grabbed her book and purse and made her way back to her apartment.

Walking into her apartment, she kicked off her shoes, laid her purse on the couch, and went to the kitchen to throw the pit of her nectarine away. She decided to take a nap, so she made her way to her bedroom. Before she could reach her room, a heavy knock resonated through her apartment.

Sighing, Delilah walked back to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. Once she opened the door, she looked up at the man confused. Once the man spoke, she was able to recognize him, despite the haircut and shaved face. Upon recognition, she was speechless.

"Hey, mami."