Lila jumped out of bed. She sang in the shower. Albeit not a word was in tune, but she continued to sing as she moved back to the room to get dressed. These were songs of her youth. Some which she had not heard or song in thirty or forty years.
She was on a memory lane trip. Then Lila thought of the man on the beach. The man with the golden tan. Why is he so familiar? It was on the tip of her tongue.
She paused before heading to the cafe in the hotel. She had no plans for the rest of the day. But she knew she needed fuel, and it always started with breakfast.
She bounced into the cafe and waved at the waitress. Karen chuckled as she watched Lila come in. Lila found the perfect seat, she could observe others as they came and went. It was her photographer eye that was always watching others. Never wanting to miss anything. That was a holdover from being a kid. She always wanted to be in the know. That was probably why it was bothering why she couldn’t get over the feeling she knew the man on the patio.
“Well, someone must have had a great night,” Karen said as she placed the menu in front of Lila.
“Why would you say that?” Lila asked.
“Yesterday, you looked like you did not want to be here and today you walked tall like the queen of the world.”
Lila laughed. “I guess I decided to be happy about this trip. Not sure why I came back, might as well be happy.”
“if you say so. Same as yesterday?”
“Yes, cereal, hot tea and lots of fresh fruit.”
Lila watched Karen walk to place her order. She was glad to be back in South Florida, more for the fruit than for anything else. She had little family still living, and most of her friends had moved away. So why am I here? She had gotten on a plane and come here after a strange dream.
A man walked in. The way he searched the cafe made Lila take notice. He took his time walking between the tables, then sat at the last one. The man made sure his back was not to the open door. This is Miami, there are always bizarre things going on. Something about the man brought the TV series, Miami Vice to mind. Lila had not been living in Miami when it filmed here, but she often watched, just to see the Miami sights.
As quickly as he sat, the man got up and moved to another table. She got a newspaper from the rack by the door. There were only four others in the cafe, so not much to watch. Going back to her table she saw the man watching her. A brief second he looked familiar. Shaking her head as if to knock the image in place, she sat. I must be seeing things. That’s two days in a row I’ve seen a man, and he looked familiar.
Within seconds of getting the newspaper, Karen placed her breakfast on the table. Lila looked up and found the man’s eyes on her. She had promised herself she would not go postal on anyone. But she wanted to ask why was he staring.
Without looking up, Lila felt his presence. “Do you have a problem with me?” She asked. He smirked. “No, not really. I saw you on the beach last night. Just wondered who you are.”
“Why would you…” He interrupted Lila, “My friend seemed taken with you, that’s all.”
“Ah, you were on the patio last night.” It was a statement, not a question to him. “Yes, I was. Are you from here?” “I used to live here another lifetime ago. Now I would love to eat my breakfast if there are no other questions.” He laughed and walked out of the cafe.
Well, that was strange. Who is the man and who is his friend?
After breakfast, Lila walked the strip. Down from the cafe, there was a bakery having a class on baking fancy cookies. And just like that, her morning had a plan. After several hours of baking and eating cookies, Lila returned to the hotel to get her rental car.
She drove to the Liberty City area. It was one of the many areas in Miami; she had lived as a kid. Now looking back it was if they were nomads. She knew it had more to do with her parents losing jobs, which lead to losing their apartments.
She passed the last house she had lived in. There were clothes on the line. She didn’t know people still dried their clothes outside on the line. A throwback to a time long gone.
Lila drove past her old high school, the man from the night before came to mind. She could see him younger with his golden skin as if he had lived in the sun. She knew he hadn’t gone to high school with her because in those days they segregated the schools.
Why did I think of him when I passed the school? What is the connection?
© 2019 Ivy Jade