HappenstanceA Story by CrowleyJust one of those things...The old woman who sat across from Katerina, stared intently at her and occasionally smiled a thin-lipped smile through dry, cracked lips. Katerina didn’t think she was homeless, her coat was in good condition and her shoes weren’t that old. Her hair was a frizzy mess but there was a baby blue barrette pinned in it. She was holding a shopping bag with a what appeared to be a few groceries and toiletries and a red patent leather handbag hung from the crook of her elbow. Katerina was stressed, nothing seemed to be going her way for the last couple of months. Her father was wound so tightly about the current world events and talked to her on the phone three times a day minimum, spewing a nonstop stream of ugly rhetoric about what he read in the paper that day or saw on the news. He was angry and there was nothing she could do about it. Work was one crushing deadline after another. In the age of computers and cell phones, it seemed to her that the speed with which people wanted things these days was almost unmanageable and the calls would come in at all hours of the day, night and weekend, there never seemed to be time to just sit and relax. Then there was Dax, the man who wanted to profess his undying love for her every chance he got. He was a nice enough guy, and cute, but Katerina didn’t have time or interest in love or dating and her brush offs of Dax made her feel terrible. Katerina swayed with the rhythm of the subway and let out a heavy sigh. She looked back to the old woman whose eyes had never left her. “You need to drop them,” the woman suddenly said to Katerina in a wispy and gravelly tone. “Excuse me?’ “Your burdens child, you need to drop them.” “How can I, I am up to my eyeballs in responsibility and I’m not sure how to, I feel so out of control,” tears started to well in her eyes. “Control is an illusion honey, all there really is in this life, are moments and choices. Every problem, every responsibility is a bird that you hold in your hand. The moment you let that bird fly away you are no longer cursed with the responsibility of feeding, protecting and nurturing that bird.” “I have to do my job, I need the money, and my dad, I am all he has.” “You aren’t giving them up honey, you’re just letting go of their responsibilities. People will give you as much responsibility as you will take on, just to get it off their back. You seem like a strong, smart woman, you can handle your father by not answering the phone every time, tell him to text you if he really needs something, that you can’t take personal calls during work hours, or better, talk to him about how he is making you feel, he might understand. And work, there are hundred things you can do to relieve that stress once you make a conscious decision that your quality of life and piece of mind is more important.” Katerina was feeling better. The old woman was right, no one else could ease her mind or make her life better but her, but how did she know so much about her situation? Her stop was coming, she gathered her belongings and stood. “Thank you so much….” “Evelyn.” “Thank you so much Evelyn, you have made my day, if I can do anything for you give me a call,” She handed her a business card. “Oh no,” Evelyn chuckled, “I’m not gonna be one of those birds, but we might get a coffee sometime.” Katerina Smiled and began to walk off the train. Evelyn shouted behind her. “And give that boy a chance would ya? He’s handsome.” “How did you know….” The train doors shut. Katerina smiled and the city engulfed her once again. © 2018 CrowleyReviews
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12 Reviews Added on October 1, 2018 Last Updated on October 1, 2018 AuthorCrowleyPhoenix, AZAboutLike to hang out with other writers and see what's what. Have met a lot of good people on this and other sites through the years. Decided to come back and do a little posting and reading. Hit me up i.. more..Writing
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