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tage or in this coffee house for that manner. Her minded herself, and all things in time. She reminds
attention drifted over the room at all of the eyes gaz- herself that when she prays she has to believe it with
ing up at the stage. The ladies sitting with friends or all of her heart, believe that it will come true.
by themselves, eyes wide open and lips parted,
probably thinking to themselves "oh, he must be talk- "Girl, don't think too much about it," Shante
ing just to me." She remembered how she used to sit said.
around and do the same thing, even when it was only
a two person conversation, but somehow now that "How do you know I'm thinking about it?"
she's looking back the lines seem somewhat re- "Because I see the way your facial expression
hearsed. changes, from the happiness that brings you in here
with me once or twice a week to complain about
"I know," Angel said, trying to keep up with work and catch up on life, to that melancholy look
the dialect, "I pray about it, I really do. I'm not go- that makes me wonder if you are ok."
ing to give up on that." "Oh," Angel said smiling; she knows that
above all she has friends that are there for her and
"Waiting is the hardest part, right?" truly do care, unlike thefellas that say "how you
"No. Not knowing is the hardest part." An- doin'?" but really have something else on their mind.
gel motioned for the waitress to give them their last With that her drinks came but without the bill.
round. The poet, finishing his lines, (she's sure he "Those fine young men over there are picking
practices in the mirror and then on other women), up your tab," the waitress said, pointing to the table
walks off the stage and back to his seat. His graceful where the young poet sat down. Then she walked
movement is met with light applause and finger snap- away.
ping, resulting in a slight smile on his face as he sits
down with his friends. They laugh a little and she "Good, because I am short on funds these
could hear them making what was probably inside days," Shante said rummaging through her purse.
jokes, but on the surface they were all any woman
could ask for. ''I'm going to give them the money," Angel
said pulling out a bill from her purse.
She wanted so much not to judge them based
on experience, though now there were so many "Come on, now, don't do that! This was a
fences and doors that would magically appear from kind gesture. Why are you going to throw it back in
time to time that she no longer knew if she was still their face? Can't you see they're just trying to be
datable. She's 25, fair skin and dark hair, self- nice?"
motivated and self-determined, fighting her demons
everyday, some of them fairly new and others that "Yeah but I don't want no favors or 'I do
are skeletons still hiding in her closet. All her friends something for you and you do something for me'
in long meaningful relationships, some getting mar- games going on." Angel knew she had been there
ried, all happy, all grasping tightly to what her fin- before.
gers had never touched before and her spirit had
never known. How good that must be, and how envi- "Are you so far gone that you still don't be-
ous she felt. All things happen for a reason, she re- lieve in a nice gesture from a guy? If someone com-
pliments you are you going to say thank you or read
54 Contrast 2004 too far into it, searching for some alternate meaning
hidden within the tone of his voice or raise of his
brow?"
