It was on Sunday that I first saw her. I was at the veterinarians office with my mother, struggling to keep the dog calm enough to keep him from barking. There weren't that many people sitting around, so I didn't understand what was taking so long. There was a small television in the upper left corner of the room, but besides the news playing in the background, the place was pretty quiet. I heard the bell on the door indicating that someone was walking in, and reached down to keep a firm grasp on my dog, daring him to act out. I'm sure I wasn't the only one to look up when she walked by. She carried a floral scent, and it was a sharp contrast to the odors of dog fur and cat piss that permeated the room. She was stunning, and the casual sundress that she had on was flattering on her figure. I intentionally looked away, afraid that I would find myself staring if I glanced for too long. She walked up to the lady at the front desk and started to greet her before I heard her gasp.
She said, Oh my God. She said, I forgot my cat.
And she rushed out. I was smiling as the staff at the front desk chuckled. I brought the incident up during dinner and got a good laugh from the family. I didn't think about her again after that.
On Monday, I saw her at the ATM on Federal and 21st. I thought to myself, what a coincidence. She had a little boy holding her hand, and he was stomping his feet in what looked like a fit. I stood a respectable distance away, but close enough to indicate that I was standing there to use the machine next. She didn't pay me any attention. I briefly wondered if the boy was hers, but she looked like she was around my age and quickly dismissed the thought. As she was putting her wallet away, the boy began whining about how he wanted to go to Mcdonalds. I heard her tell him that all the Mcdonalds burned down, that there were no more Mcdonalds. I almost busted out laughing right then and there, her voice was so flat and serious. They were walking away when she caught my eye, smirked, and waved goodbye. I thought about her for the rest of the day.
It was Tuesday when I saw her again for the third time. At that point, I thought, that this must be fate, right? This isn't some small town where you just randomly bump into strangers multiple times a week, let alone in consecutive days. She was sitting on the bench, talking on the phone. I found her too intimidating to approach casually, so I considered walking across her field of vision hoping to attract her attention in recognition. Maybe she'll see my dog and ask to pet it, strike up some sort of conversation. Fingers crossed. I was standing not too far off to the left of the bench, acting like I was waiting for my dog to do his business. I didn't look up, but I could hear what she was saying to whoever she was on the phone with. She seemed mad as hell. Even the dog perked up a bit at the tone of her voice.
She said, Don't you dare do that. Not only will it kill you, but it will hurt the entire time that you are dying. She said, I'm gonna stab both of ya'll. She said, My career will be over, 'cause I'm gonna kill both of you. She said, I'm gonna stab him first, because I want you to see me stab him - and then I'm gonna stab you.
I didn't catch what she said after that, as she had gotten up and walked away. I was sure glad I didn't try to approach her then, as it obviously wasn't an appropriate time, and I doubt she would have been in the mood to humor me. I felt a sickening wave of disappointment in myself though. I wish I could have at least like, asked for her name.