A Fork in the Road - Part Four

The server stepped forward to ask if she needed another beer and Ziya smiled with a nod.  She looked around the room and watched the group in the center becoming more animated.  Behind them in the far corner a table that had been previously unoccupied, she spotted a shadow.  Somehow she felt the need to see who it was, but his face was hidden behind the tall man chugging his pint amidst laughter and jokes in the group.

With a fresh, cool mug of beer in front of her, she settled back on her seat and leafed through her magazine for another article.  Skimming through several pages, her attention fluttered like leaves in a storm.  Pushing away her half-eaten plate of now cold fish and chips, and discarding the magazine on the far side of her table, she sat back with her mug and observed the people around her.  At long last, the loud group stood up and staggered out of the bar, one by one, leaving the room feeling lonely.

With the tall guy from the group gone, Ziya’s gaze fell on the man in shadows.  His head bent into a magazine folded vertically, he took a sip from his beer before returning to the article.  A smile passed Ziya’s lips and she stood up to walk in his direction.  She watched his thick, dark hair and the trendy, dark rimmed glasses.  His shirt was starch white, a yellow necktie loosened at the collar.  A navy blue sports coat along with a long wool coat hung at the back of a chair across from him, a pair of black leather gloves on top.  She paced before reaching him, savoring every step, every detail.  His face was square and from the profile view she detected a hint of a dimple on his clean shaven chin.  His thick lips pursed at something he read morphing into a pout as he read on.  She approached his table and stood tall, next to his seated form.  He looked up, his eyes widening as they reached hers.  She smiled and said, “Hello, Ash.  It’s been a long time.”

To be continued….