Week 1: A Woman in Green- Rya Wu

Full Prompt: “A woman in green.”

Story:

“…melancholy…” she uttered inaudibly. 

“Sorry? Melony?…” the barista loudly inquired. 

“No, no, I’m so sorry- my name is Ruby.” 

Ruby stepped down the stoop leading up to her favorite coffee shop having just purchased a far too expensive latte. Something about this shop, the beans perhaps, or maybe the design of the building, had always been her favorite. Of all the places she had been- not that that number was terribly high- this coffee shop, in the city where she had always lived, remained her favorite. And the thought struck her for the first time, it was because it was home. 

Most often, Ruby made her own coffee. French press. She liked the process of it. It all felt a little more sophisticated- like it should cost more. Cost more even though the press was much cheaper than any coffee maker and the beans she bought usually came in a five pound bag. Ruby wasn’t picky. She couldn’t afford to be. The last few years had been rough.

She walked along the busy city streets wondering about all the people on them. She Wondered where they were going. Wondered how they made their living. Ruby wondered if they were happy doing so. She wouldn’t say she was. Something she also would not admit to anyone. She was aware of all the good in her life. She was aware of how many skills and gifts she had been born with and been able to cultivate. Yet still- in her mind, to herself only, she wouldn’t say she was happy. She was melancholy. A half smile crept across her face as she thought: “melancholy- such a romantic word for depressed.” 

In a hurry to get nowhere, grasping the warm latte in her bare hands, taking care to enjoy each sip- as she permitted herself just one of these treats per week- her wondering continued. Did this latte actually taste better? Or because it was a rarity did it become more? She wondered what to do next. On the outside she strolled but inside her mind raced- touching on a hundred problems simultaneously. Her eyes began to well under the pressure of her own thoughts. But a moment before a single tear could escape her soulful brown eyes, a city bus roared by. So abruptly had it come down the street the start of it nearly made her drop her precious coffee. As her senses regained their composure she found herself in the wake of fright, in the wake of the unexpected, she found herself in a flurry of crisp, fallen leaves. She was enshrouded in an array of sepia, crimson, and gold. That tear now escaped her eye, accompanied by a few more. But its reason had changed wholly. In that autumnal magic she recalled something her grandmother had once told her about trees. She had said that every year, even the mightiest tree sheds its old self fully. And endures winter. Bare. Unprotected. But inevitably, each spring, that tree blooms again. 

Now smiling, tear tracks barely perceptible upon her cheeks, Ruby wrapped her long coat about her body. The wind caused her straight, ebony hair to dance across her darkly-complected face. Her grandmother had left her this coat. The same one Ruby had played dress- up in when she was a small girl. It was just like her grandmother: elegant, bold, and resilient. It was timeless. Slightly oversized on Ruby, the green garment provided her warmth. It brought happy memories to her mind and to her heart. It offered a much needed hug. She strolled home, smiling, enjoying her coffee- a Ruby clad in emerald.