Soul Journal

The wind tugs at my skirt and blows its cold breath up my legs, making the bare skin above my stockings tingle. There is a brief reprise in the downpour, and I take the opportunity to dash from the office to a nearby café.

The puddles on the ground are reflected in the dampness in my underwear. I have just spent the last few hours working through a design brief with an incredibly attractive bachelor, who was an incredibly good flirt. Despite the cloud of lust that drifted around the boardroom, we were able to maintain a level of professionalism that would have made my mother proud.

The male barista behind the counter acknowledges my short skirt and heels with an appreciative eye, and watches my mouth as I ask for an espresso.  I am tempted to push the encounter further, but I am mindful of the time and a dinner date that I have lined up with my on-again casual lover.

He sets the cup down in front me of me and I flash him a smile as I take it to the window. A habit of mine, to sip a strong coffee as I absorb the scene outside. This café has tall tables ideally positioned for such activities, and I throw my case on one and lean against it as I savour the deliciously hot beverage. The wind is blowing in strong gusts, almost visible in it’s ferociousness. The reactions of those walking by is fascinatingly different. A family passes, the parents laughing and the children dancing and twirling, relishing the way it feels in their clothes and hair.

A man wearing a suit and carrying an injured umbrella looks most crotchety, as if his world is a well of discontent. A man in his mid-twenties carries a small dog, clearly enjoying the opportunity to coddle his pet. He wraps his jacket around its body, his eyes bright and a smile playing gently on his lips. He smiles at an elderly lady who is heading back the opposite direction, and I wallow in this sense of connectivity that we share when we’re out, sharing a space, embracing the natural world together..