“Hi, Seth! Sorry I missed you! Call me when you get a chance”
Why would he want to call Natalie? Erase.
“Seth? It’s Annie. I’ll try again later.”
No number to call, no real message, just more waiting.
And more waiting. Until
The phone didn’t ring at all waiting.
Not even telemarketers waiting.
He went to bed feeling defeated.
Tuesday night, rush home from work.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Avoid Mrs. Thompson.
Is there a blinking light?
“Hello, Seth? It’s Annie.
I’ll be at the bookstore tonight doing inventory.
If you want, you can come down and we’ll talk.”
If I want? If I want? He thought to himself as he went out the door.
The bookish man had a name, Mr. Langston,
And he smiled as he let Seth in the locked door.
“She’s upstairs” he said as he nodded in the direction of the stairs.
Seth couldn’t get there fast enough.
“Annie? Where are you?”
“Over here” came her sweet voice from behind a stack of boxes.
“What’s going on?” he knew he asked too urgently.
After all, they were just acquaintances.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, betraying his genuine concern.
“Oh, yes, I am. Sarah was sick.”
Lost, he asked the obvious: “who is Sarah?”
Annie looked at him pleadingly: “I have so much to tell you, and so much to do here tonight.”
“Okay” he replied. “If I help you tonight, will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
“Oh Seth, I can’t, I have to go home right after work.”
He felt his temperature rising, he didn’t understand
And he didn’t like what was happening.
They worked nearly silently for the next three hours.
Slowly, efficiently inventorying the books in the boxes.
It was not what he had in mind but, he was grateful.
After all, he just wanted to be with her.
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