Hurry Around the Corner

Sitting at the table Elena waits for the tea to brew. She is tired, slept fitfully the night before. She hears the bathroom do close and knows that Tomas is up. The kettle boils and begins to whistle., She turns the fire off and pours the water into her tea pot. Immediately she can smell the tea as the leaves unfurl.

 “Hi” Tomas said

 “Hi” she answered

 “Been up long?”

 “Since just before dawn”

 Tomas puts the kettle back on the stove, the acrid smell of the gas catching fire always startles her as she remembers her mother each day lighting the fire on the old stove in the villa on the hill in Tuscany. Tomas leans against the counter fiddling with the edge of the dish cloth. He looks so handsome in his pajamas and slippers. Unshaven and still rumpled from bed. She knows he will be distracted by his trip to San Francisco today. The water boils and he adds a bit of sugar to the cup of tea, he directly boil’s the leaves in his cup and never waits a moment to let the steep come on. He sits down across from her, he will only be here a moment, he is always on the move, and holds his cup in front of his mouth, the steam works around his eyes.

 “Do you want to come to the City today? I can drop you at the museums and pick you up around lunchtime and we can go over to the Haight and get something to eat.”

 She looks at him, through the steam, he sips his tea, she waits one more heartbeat. “Okay, as long as you finish on time, last time I went you were two hours late and we hit all the traffic coming back on 101.”

 “Today is shorter and I will be finished early, even with the questions after, the talk is only scheduled for twenty minutes.” he sets his cup down and stand up as if the conversation is settled.

 “I am going to get dressed” he says

 Walking out of the kitchen he pauses in the doorway and looks back. “Is everything okay?” he looks a bit startled by her silence.

 “Yes, it’s fine - I will be ready in a few minutes, just let me get my satchel together so I can sketch in the museum.”

 He waves his hand in an amicable way moving back down the hall into the shadow. She remembers the first time she saw him, across the room hold the attention of a group of students with his witticisms and stories. He is back in a flash, briefcase in hand, casual sloppy in his dress, rumpled but academic.

 “I’m gonna run down and pull the car out” he says

 “Okay I am almost ready.” She works the folder into her satchel and grabs up a jacket.

  He turns back at the door, holding it open for a moment, "Hurry around the corner I want to catch the freeway before the traffic builds to much."

  She smiles as the door closes, steps toward the kitchen to shut out the light.