The Day We Collided
It was early, around 8am, and Forest powerwalked down U Street as his eyes scanned every projecting sign to his left while calmly arguing on the phone. He was wearing leather gloves and a thick coat that did not help him hide the suit beneath—the kind that said he wore them often and had no other options. In one hand, his phone. In the other, an old briefcase with papers slightly hanging out.
White piles of snow aligned against the sidewalk glistened in the bright sunlight. Tiny little flutters of snow began to saturate the edges of his exposed papers. One drop—two. He didn't even notice.
"I know, mom." Forest was annoyed, lost. "I recognize it's only five more days until Christmas, but I needed a vacation, ma."
Forest stopped in place. Then, he slowly turned, browsing, until he had made a full 360.
"I-I'm sorry mom, I have to go."
He began walking again, this time quicker than before.
At the same time, coming from the opposite direction, Faith, too, walked quickly—determined, confident.
"So I intern for three years, work with a fixed bare minimum salary for four, and you still gave the position to Kathie?" She barked at her boss, nearly speeding up with each syllable.
"But you promised! Two years ago at the last meeting, you said that I—"
Boom.
Faith's words were abruptly cut off as her and Forest collided. Her coffee splashed against her white gold blouse. Her phone spun in the air as it tumbled down onto the cold concrete. His briefcase popped open, releasing several scattering papers with force.
They both reacted, speaking at once.
Forest dove down to gather his papers, panicked, embarrassed. "I'm so so sorry!" He didn't even look up.
Faith gasped. "Oh my gosh! Are you insane?" She looked down at her chest, the smell of brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla infused in the golden ruffles going down her shirt.
Forest began to stand, holding only five pages that he could salvage. "I'm so sorry. Look I—"
Faith interrupted him as she prepared to look the culprit in the eyes. "Just great! Look at what you've d—"
Another abrupt pause, but this time...his eyes interrupted—impossibly blue, reflecting the faint snowfall between them.
For the first time, they saw each other—her dark brown 4c coils, brown eyes, and mole perfectly placed slightly below her left cheek; his glowing white smile, brown sugar curls, and southern charm.
The universe slowed. Time paused ever so gently, just for a few seconds. The winter breeze suddenly felt warm, comforting. And they stared into each other's eyes as their breath fell into an in sync rhythm—calm, relaxed, tender.
Somewhere down the sidewalk, a bell jingled. Kids laughed and yelled in the distance. "Let's make a snow angel!"
Forest, coming out of a trance, felt his jaws cramp as he tried to show sincerity. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me." He placed his hand on his chest, not even realizing his phone had left it. "Please, let me at least pay for your blouse."
Faith stared into his smile quietly, nearly forgetting their colliding introduction.
Forest blushed. "Miss?"
Faith snapped out of it, finally feeling the now cold moisture on her chest. "Uh, no. That's okay." She browsed the sidewalk, remembering the conversation she was just having. There. She found her phone, uncracked, three missed calls. "Ugh, I have to go."
As she swiftly brushed past his shoulder, Forest felt an impulse he could not resist. "Wait!" He turned around, subconsciously praying she'd stop.
She did.
"Please," he added. "Just let me at least replace your coffee...I am not from around here, but I think I saw a nice place...uh, right down there—The Coffee Bar. Join me?"
"You really are a tourist." She chuckled.
He laughed and faintly waved his hand. "Guilty."
She looked in that direction, contemplating, trying to keep the sides of her mouth from curving upward. One one-thousand. Two one-thousand. Three. "Okay," she said hesitantly, pressing her lips firmly together as she questioned why she just agreed to that in her mind. "But uh, let's not go there."
He tilted his head, curious. "Cool, then where?"
"Come on," she said, nodding toward the corner. "I know a place a little less crowded."
"Okay." He stuffed the papers in his briefcase and grabbed his phone off of the sidewalk. He jogged closer to her, excited. "Be cool, smooth," he thought to himself, slowing down one foot away from her side.
She led him to Peregrine Espresso, the kind of place where the barista behind the counter lifted a hand and called, “Hey, Faith! The usual?”
Forest grinned. “You come here often?”
“When I need quiet,” she spoke softly. “Or a reminder that the world’s not as loud as it feels.”
They found a seat by the window, partially secluded, well lit.
A barista walked over, joyous, confident, placing a drink on the table in front of Faith. "Hot cappuccino with breve, vanilla, and two shots of espresso." She looked at Forest. "And what can I get for you, sir?"
Forest smiled at the barista and then looked into Faith's eyes. "I'll have the same."
The barista widened her eyes and smirked at Faith as if that was a language to say "kudos!" "Okay, coming right up."
As the barista walked off, Faith picked up her mug and brought it close to her mouth. She lightly blew, and then she took careful sips. She briefly closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth as the drink traveled down from her throat.
Forest sat there quietly, observing, admiring.
"What?" She spoke gently, noticing his bright staring eyes.
He nodded. "Nothing, just uh..." He glanced out the window. "...enjoying the view." He returned his gaze back towards her and leaned in more. "So, Faith, what do you do?"
"Why?" She asked as she placed her mug back onto the small round plate on the table.
He froze and smirked, intrigued by her wittiness. "Just making conversation."
"Well, uh...I-I'm sorry. This is embarrassing. I don't know your name."
"You're right, sorry. I'm Forest."
"Forest...okay. Well, Forest, what do you do?"
"I am a law student. Actually, I'm quite done. I'm on vacation—taking a rest before exam prep begins."
The barista appeared, even more lively than before. "Here's your cap, sir. Anything else I can do for ya?"
Forest looked at Faith. She nodded.
"That's all for now." Forest replied with a smile. "Thank you."
He picked up his mug and took a sip, watching Faith patiently observe. "Mh, that's really good."
She nearly smirked, but she refocused her gaze to outside the window, avoiding the eye contact.
"So, Faith, I told you what I do. May I know what you do?"
Faith kept looking out the window. "I'm a data analyst for a private weather company."
"Wow! So you must be really good at math and science..." He took another sip and then mumbled, "Smart and beautiful."
She smirked, feeling centered as she watched the tiny snowflakes melt as they landed on the window.
"You know, Faith, as a law student, I spent months learning how to use Geographic Information Systems. It was quite interesting."
Quickly forgetting her stubborn gaze, she looked at him. "Really?" She asked, surprised, impressed.
"Yes. It's actually an important tool for legal analysis and mapping out crime scenes." He grinned.
"So you're interested in criminal law?"
"Ha. Seven years of studies post-high school to prove it."
They continued to talk. Forest—inquisitive, smitten, amazed, warm. Faith—hesitant, impressed, drawn, curious.
Outside, the snowflakes fell gently, glistening in the sunlight, as pedestrians sped through life, through their day.
Inside, minutes felt like hours, all prior plans were nonexistent, and the two sat there, engulfed in warmth, stillness, and tranquility.
Forest stared into her eyes. "You have really beautiful eyes, you know that?
Faith nearly blushed. "Thank—"
His phone rang, cutting her off. He took a quick look and then placed his phone back in his pocket.
"You're not going to get that?" She asked, curious.
"I'm sitting here with Faith." He cheesed.
Finally, she smiled, a big bright, wide smile that could not resist any longer.
As they stared into each other's eyes, smiling, infatuated, he placed his hand on the middle of the table, facing upward and open.
She looked at it, contemplating, dreaming. Then, her smile fainted. "I'm sorry I have to go." She jumped up, grabbed her things, and headed for the door.
"Faith, wait!" He scrambled to grab his things, threw a twenty and ten dollar bill on the table, and ran out after her.
He made it out the door. The winter breeze brushed past his face, briefly taking his breath away. He looked to his left—just a kid holding his mom's hand while skipping, some carolers joyously singing and walking down the adjacent sidewalk, and a man and his dog blending into the growing crowd. He looked to his right—a lady walking out of the nearby store holding a huge bouquet of flowers, a car backing up to align with the curb, and finally, the view of brown coils bouncing away.
"Faith!" He called, jogging toward her to catch up.
He reached her, grabbing her hand without thought and landing in front of her, longing to have more time with her.
Her steps, once fast, were at a standstill.
The warmth from his hand moved through her body like electricity, flowing as deep as her soul. The snowflakes began to fall in slow motion. The air softened. Their chests moved slowly in rhythm—up, down, up, down—in unison. The sidewalk traffic disappeared, and all the busy sounds faded away. And for what felt like minutes, it was just the two of them, lost in each other's eyes. Both felt like God was hitting pause just for them. His touch felt sincere, genuine, soft. Her touch felt like a blend of everything he never knew he needed. Euphoria was the soup of the day.
Faith gasped and pulled her hand back. She gave her hand a strange look, confused and in awe, as the the snowfall suddenly seemed to increase its tempo and the sound of singing Christmas carolers returned.
"I'm sorry." Forest said, more intrigued than surprised. "I'm not sure what happened back there or if I said the wrong thing but—" He paused, realizing that what he would say next would be strange. "Look, I know we just met...but could we just... Do you have plans today? Can't we just spend the day together?"
She stared at him, gently pulling her jaws in to keep from cheesing, and then she tilted her neck toward the sky. "I have to go to work and drop off these files." Noticing his eyes slowly sink, she slowly added, "But...I guess...you can come with."
Forest grinned. "I don't care where we go...as long as it's together."
Faith felt a quick chill run through her body just for a second. She played it off, rubbing her hands together to redirect from the real culprit. She smiled at him. "Let's go."
