it was beautiful out.
the air was crisp and cool. there was a light breeze, and the light of a foreign sun - she wondered, for a moment, what they called it here - cast the shadows of stray clouds down upon the world.
today was her day. he had gone somewhere, to meet someone, and to do something. today was a day she did not care about him, or where he went, or what he did.
she walked along the sidewalk, her hands in her pockets. her hair was loose, and bounced slightly with each step she took. fresh, vivid streaks of electron blue highlighted the deep chestnut brown of it. it was a gift to herself, a throwback to the past.
she followed the signs, and arrived at a park.
trees, and grass, and cobblestone walkways. playgrounds filled with screaming children and, close by, their parents, keep a watchful eye on their offspring. a man was showing off his child to a woman, who doted on the boy as if he were her own. swings creaked as they swung back and forth. laughter was in the air. in other areas, people walked the paths, or sat on the benches in silence.
some things never change, no matter how much time passes.
she opted to place herself in the latter group of people, walking the winding paths and looking at the flowers and sitting underneath the shade of the trees.
she watched the people that passed by her, and smiled at each one.
some smiled back.
some did not.
as she sat with her back against a particulary tall and old looking tree, enjoying the breeze, she noticed a man pushing a cart coming up the path. he was singing, and half-shading himself underneath the umbrella attached to the cart.
his voice was soothing to her, well-suited to the song that reached her ears.
"Take my hand - come back to the land - let's get away, just for one day..."
she leaned forward and then stood up, brushing herself off, and stepped back onto the path. he walked past her, still singing. she turned and followed after him for a moment, before tapping him on the shoulder. he stopped, and turned around.
"Hm?"
"Whatcha doin'?" she asked, rocking back and forth on her feet slightly, like a little girl would.
"What, aside from singing, you mean? Well, pushing this," he gestured at the cart.
"What is it?" she said, walked around to the side of it, tilting her head a bit at it.
"Well, it's a...hot dog cart, you see. I'm a hot dog vendor."
"oh, no way," she said, grinning at him. "You never see stuff like this anymore!"
"Heh. I know, it's a bit of an anachronism, now. But I do this on the side for fun. You meet a lot of interesting people this way."
"I'll bet," she said. she paused. "Can I have one? It's been...I don't know how long since I've actually had one."
his face lit up at the prospect of a customer, and he moved the cart to the side of the path.
"Sure thing."
she leaned on the side of the cart, resting her elbows on it, talking to him as he set about constructing her sandwich. she smiled and laughed and joked with him.
she wondered if this was flirting.
he passed the hot dog over to her, created just as she had told him. she straightened up a bit and began to dig into her pockets for money.
"No, no," he said. "Don't worry about it."
she looked up at him, confused.
"What?"
he smiled warmly at her, and it made her feel as if she had known him for a very long time. it was a friendly smile.
"It's on me," he replied. "You look like you could deserve a bit of kindness in your life."
"You're sweet," she said, and took a bite of the sandwich.
it triggered a flood of memories in her head - good ones, for once. of happier moments in her childhood. of moments from just a few years ago, sitting on the dock of a peaceful bay with the best friend she'd ever had. it made her smile.
he began pushing the cart again, and she walked alongside him, eating her hot dog and talking with him about all sorts of things, from the weather to the food to the area around them. she forgot about the world outside of the park, and about Zero, and about everything else.
she tossed the empty paper tray he had given her the hot dog in at a garbage can, and thanked him for the napkin he handed her.
she said, "You sing?"
he said, "I do, actually. It's a passion of mine."
"What was the song you were singing? It sounded pretty..."
"It's an old one," he said.
"I like old things." a pause before she realized what she had said. "I mean, I like history. And older things, like antiques and old songs and..."
he smiled again.
"I get what you mean. That song's a favorite of mine."
"Teach it to me?"
"What, now?" he chuckled.
"Teach it to me!" she said insistently. "I can...sort of sing! I'd like to know it..."
"If you really want to, then sure."
he parked the cart at the side of the path, and they sat down underneath another tree, and he began to sing.
she didn't know how long they sat there. the shadows of everything around them began to grow longer as time passed, but finally, with some effort, she sang with him. a few people who were passing by paused, if only for a moment, to listen to them.
"Metropolis has nothing on this - you're breathing in fumes, I taste when we kiss..."
"Take my hand, come back to the land, where everything's ours, for a few hours..."
"Let me see you stripped down to the bone..."
when they had finished singing, those that had stayed clapped. she pointed out to him that there was a small pile of change, and even a few bills, on his cart.
"Well, I always did want to try being a street performer," he said as they both stood.
they laughed together.
"Thank you," she said. she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek before hugging him. "for teaching me, and for everything."
"Well, um, you're welcome, heh..."
"I needed to meet someone like you," she smiled happily up at him. "And I did, and it's made quite a difference. I should probably be going, though...but...yes. Thank you."
"Anytime. I'm usually here every other afternoon, if you'd like to hang out again sometime."
"If I'm back here ever again, I promise that I'll show up! Look for me."
"Oh, I will," he said.
they said their goodbyes and parted. she left the world of the park, left the trees and children and the hot dog vendor behind.
she put her hands back into her pockets as she walked down the sidewalk again, walled in by the massive buildings, stepping quickly to avoid the multitudes of people.
"Metropolis has nothing on this," she sang again, quietly.
she would never forget that song.