Adult Writers

Lisa sat in a quiet corner of the coffee shop, nursing her cafe Au lait. As she watched all the happy couples around her, arriving for their Saturday morning coffee, she wondered where they were all headed. One couple, dressed comfortably in shorts and sandals, was chattering away about yard sales. Another man and woman were disagreeing, rather loudly in fact, about her parents accompanying them on yet another weekend getaway. In the opposite corner to Lisa sat a young couple, facing one another at a table, holding hands. They were completely oblivious to the hustle and bustle around them, clearly in the early stages of infatuation. Lisa just sighed and picked up her pen. "14 Across," she read to herself, "European river draining into the Baltic Sea." Lisa knew the answer was "Neman" but, today especially, all her mind could put together was "No man." In the midst of all these passionate, lovable couples, Lisa could not help but feel very alone.

It had been several years since Rob died. A drunk driver had plowed into the side of his car and Rob was killed instantly. People said that, from the damage to his vehicle, it was merciful that Rob had gone without knowing unending suffering. For Lisa, that was the day her life stopped.

In the past year or so, Lisa had started to feel like she was emerging from a very long, dark sleep. She had slowly started to accept the invitations from friends and coworkers to join them as they socialized. It took some getting used to for Lisa to feel comfortable but she also knew it was time. She was a young, passionate woman and she really hadn't meant to spend so long alone. When she emerged from the fog, Lisa realized that she had no idea how to fit in as a dating single. She was such a lovable person and her friends were so patient. It was no time before Lisa started to draw male attention. Her first couple of dates were painful and didn't really end well but Lisa was determined to get past her sadness and rejoin the living.

"Is this seat taken?" Lisa was jolted from her thoughts and her crossword puzzle by the male voice. As she looked up, her eyes met the smiling gaze of Donald, a fellow who lived in her building. They would occasionally meet up at the mail boxes or in the laundry room and they always struck up an easy conversation. "Not at all, Donald. Please join me," Lisa said with a smile in her voice. "That wasn't so hard," Lisa thought to herself. She had been practicing and telling herself that she was still a lovable young woman who deserved a happy future. Rob was a passionate man and he would have wanted that for her. Lisa turned to Donald with a bright smile and the conviction to put one foot in front of the other.