The spark of autumn

Martha caught a glimpse of some one from the window where she worked. She first thought maybe they were making a movie in town. Sometimes, it happened. Her mother met Johnny Depp once, but that was along time ago.

No, he didn't look like Johnny Depp. However, there was something familiar about him. She shivered. Couldn't be.

She went back to her apple. She was going to eat the four things she brought today and skip lunch. She would save the granola bar for her 3 p.m break. She checked her watch. It was 12 a.m.

They didn't have any pectin at home. She promised she'd help with the apples tonight. She got up and snatched the bright red apple. She needed to go to the grocery store. So she made a quick jaunt to the mom and pop place on the square.

Martha was always in a hurry.  Sometimes, her boss didn't know what she was doing, but she always got it done. She liked being in a hurry. It was like a dance and it charged her more to never be hungry. Never think about food. She liked being busy.

But when she took one step off the pavement, everything felt like one big slow moving video on YOU TUBE under the line, "Don't try this at Home."

She turned her ankle, but someone caught her before she landed face down.

"I was hoping I'd run into you." He said.

She looked up at  him, staring. She squinted in pain.

"Really?" Oh, she knew his name, but she didn't want to act too desperate. She could hold her own. She always did. She was so thankful she never got mixed up with Shelby from high school. He was doing time now because of his meth problem. She wasn't exactly good at this sort of thing. "Oh, its..you..from..from the wedding." She hugged herself as if he didn't really need to help her.

"Yeah." Garvin smiled. "How about lunch?"

"Oh..um.." The pain pulsed. "I..I couldn't." She didn't go out. Did he have any idea how hard it was to get herself together for a date?

"I see a diner." It was only a couple steps away.

"Yeah..well.." She grimaced. He helped her along. He had her in a booth before she could really even decide.

He ordered a coffee. She wanted iced tea.

"So what's good here?" He asked. Then told her he was famished. She said the BLTs were good. He mentioned the job at the newspaper. "I don't even have a degree." He looked foolish, like maybe he wasn't suppose to be here, after all. "I bet, you, could do it."

"Yeah, you know, it doesn't pay well." She hated to be a barrier of bad news.

"That's all right. I have a couple of other things going too." He nodded.

"Yeah, I just bet you do." She took him as just a bit  smittened with himself. She could see right through him. No way, did she like him. No way.