Less than three minutes

I excused myself for a moment after showing the amazingly sweet message that a friend had sent me to Jenny and I walked out into the streets. It was hot and sticky, but I needed a moment alone and so I cut a path through the New Orleans night with the sentiments I'd just read making my eyes a little glassy.

I passed the cathedral on my way around the block, but I didn't look up, I looked at my shoes, at the well-worn, uneven stones beneath my feet and I listened to the noise fade a little behind me. A taxi rounded the corner without stopping for the sign and so I paused on the street corner and lifted my eyes past the driver and up at the windows that were lit. For a moment I imagined a new life for myself on the other side of one of them and then continued back to where I'd started.

I came back to the bar and sat down where my bottled water was still waiting, dripping onto the copper top of the long bar. I took a drink of it, wiped away the condensation and rolled the bottle across the back of my neck for a moment. I smiled a little at Jenny and rejoined the conversation, but my mind wandered back to a single, simple, beautiful line that had been added as post-script to the message..."I know that waiting sucks, I will make it a point to wait with you.". I smiled because it was true on all counts.