Amber sat outside waiting for the person who said they would be there, who would stand by her side. It was one of those parts of a city that people called the grove. It was the center of the city, people congregated there often. The grove was surrounded by several buildings full of businesses, restaurants and stores. The street was busy with vehicles slowing moving for the sounds of their engines were idol at the light. Occasionally, a horn would beep in anticipation of a clear road to drive, though it never occurred it was a very busy intersection. Several people walked by mostly in suits and skirts for this was downtown. The fountains streaming water had people gathered around for mid day meals. A man was waiting with a fiddle case open on the corner playing popular tunes. Some stopped to listen for moment as they wonder at the sounds emerging from the wooden instrument, every once and a while someone disrupts the sounds with money dropping on the velvet lining barely audible over the fountain spewing water not meaning to be in melody with the fiddle.

Listening she thought, if we sat in one place forever what would happen, would it be like in the movie The Time Machine where the man sits in the machine and watches buildings and people change around him eventually even a mountain engulfs him. Though he stays the same, completely the same, only the world changes around him. Does that happen in real life? Do we stay the same and the world changes or does the world stay the same and we change. With the advent of different ages bronze, middle, industrial and technological they had changed the world but we as people still communicate, we still eat, sleep, and have families, friends. How we have achieved that is through different means, the changes we brought into the world though world itself hasn’t changed there is still dirt, mountains, clouds, bodies of water, grass there is simply everything including the weather those are the all givens she had. Then she remembered we have all heard the given in life is death and taxes but what is the given in nature the seasons, the orbits of planets, What? What is definite versus what isn’t there really isn’t is there, we all haven’t had anything last every day, month, year, decades and all our emotions tumble with sadness, anger and happiness there has not been much change for feelings always encompass if we will be liked. She sighs, breaks her concentration and wonders where is her friend here.

While looking, she sees the people around her, they seemed cheerful on this day laughing and smiling while walking. She has waiting well over an hour and still no sign, not even one person looks remotely familiar. She continues to think, we all want that love of friends and family. That is the human constant in our world that will always be the constant do people really see our selves as crazy, intelligent, considerate. We all want that, we all strive for support and we all strive for the love of family and friends and we all have it. That is why she waited for her friend the person that would introduce her to her new clients. Amber decides to wait a little more, they must be arriving soon still everything seems closed the entire building blacken with inactivity. How was it possible it was the middle of the day but no one seemed to come in or out just the desk person inside reading a magazine.

Amber thinks back to the moment when changed her career. There were times she felt like she lost her family, her friends though she still talked with them as often as she could, it was her friend who set up this appointment. Therefor she did not want to go in by herself they promised that they would be here, why aren’t they here. Doubting herself and her friend she waits longer. Amber saw that the trees and shrubbery were growing well since they had been planted several years ago, it was her that had the businesses around agree to put in some greenery. She thought even nature needs the love and care of others and itself, we all know just like trees and shrubs that all living things evolve over time as well as their relationships, now hers too. She was starting a career, she was starting a business, Amber was evolving. This enhancement of character, strength as a person that we experience is definitely quite different from others for each person is different.

She knew she was going into her initial meeting with clients with a different outlook than she ever had before. She knew that her interactions with the entire world would change. Whether good or bad combined with difficult or easy most everyone going into that meeting had a rehearsal or were told, here is what you need to know and do, these are the briefings she was aware were occurring. She practiced reading her notes and interpreting them in several ways finding all the meanings all the questions they would want answered, but she didn’t feel prepared she never felt prepared. She began to get nervous where is my friend then over the fountain, over the fiddle, over the cars in the street she heard a faint ring. It was her phone. “Hello?”

“Where are you?” her friend asks.

“I am here, downtown in the grove waiting for you.” Amber says with anticipation.

“I have been up here waiting for you.” They both start laughing.

“I’ll be right in, what floor is it again?” Once Amber heard the number she ended the phone call with a “See you soon.” she stood up walked into the dark building and entered closing the door behind her.

-Jennie Nawrocki