Echoes

I stepped carefully around the corner, the familiar sights and sounds hitting me like a brick to the face. My eyes watered. I could practically see us, all of us, back then, clustered around the outdoor tables in front of the pizza shop, the bar, the coffee shop. I could smell the various stalls from the events we’d been to on this street. I could taste the churros and nachos.

I reeled myself back in with a deep breath. Today, Main Street smelled like a cold, wet street in January. I huddled into my coat and walked down the street. Didn’t that club-looking building used to be a tavern?

My eyes slid back and forth across the grey slush coating everything, and I didn’t notice the figure in front of me until they reached out to tap my shoulder.

“Hey, I’m so sorry, but…do you remember me?” A female voice asked. I blinked. Squinted past the pulled-down hat and pulled-up scarf covering her face. Blonde hair, blue eyes…round cheeks…

“Brittany?” My mouth fell open in shock. We’d met at school three hours drive from here, ten years ago. She’d lived about four hours north. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know.” She shrugged. “Work happens. Life happens.”

“How have you been?”

She shifted. “Fine, fine. Just…rolling through the days, you know.”

“Yeah…I know.” I trailed off. Once, seeing her would have done things to me…made me happier, made me feel safer. Made me feel braver. Now…I didn’t actually feel anything. Maybe impatience. I wasn’t supposed to be here, not after the…not after what had happened.

“How have you been?” She was watching me closely. She had always been able to tell when I was lying, but that had been then. I was a different woman now.

“Fine.” I lied, flashing her a grin. “I’m getting married, we’ve both got decent jobs–well, decent enough in this economy, you know how it is.”

“That sounds great!” but her smile fell, just for a second, but it did.

“I’d love to catch up,” I lied, “but I’m meeting some friends.”

“Sure, sure…” she fished her phone out of her pocket, and I sighed. “Can I get your number?”

“Sure.” My smile felt frozen on my face as I took her phone and typed in the old number I’d had in college, the one I’d ditched within a year of graduating. I clicked save and handed the phone back.

“Let’s meet up sometime soon.” She was studying me too closely again.

“Yeah, I have a couple of days off every week, just let me know what works for you.” I dodged her attempt at a hug, shivering dramatically for effect. “Looking forward to it!” I called before turning and hurrying down the street once more. I just had to pick up the belongings I’d left behind during the chaos from the government building a few blocks down, and then I could take a different route back to my car and get out of here…and never return.