Quiet and Cold Night

I walk up to the plaza on a cold Thursday evening. It’s really humid and there aren’t very many people here today. There is only 3 people in the plaza as I approach. I reach my bench, wipe the rainwater off, and sit. The Corner Café is notably empty. There is only a single family there. The thing that really surprises me is that there is music coming from the café. There is music almost every day. In front of me, there are 2 college-age students, Margot and Josh. They are on a date. They are really close and speaking really quietly. Margot is wearing a very light sweater and seems to be cold. It’s currently 52 degrees. As the couple continue their date, I turn my sight to an elderly woman sitting in a bench on the corner of the plaza. She is just sitting there with her purse on her lap. She is wearing a very heavy jacket. She seems to be very relaxed.

I turn to look at the Authentic Outpost restaurant. There is many cars like always parked there. Every few minutes or so, a family walks out looking content. The 5^th family that walks out is a Hispanic elderly couple that seem familiar. I have seen them here at the plaza before. If I am right, they are the Fernandezes. They walk down the street into a small sedan and they drive off. A man and woman are walking out of the Authentic Outpost restaurant. They are approaching the plaza and they are speaking an unfamiliar language. I can understand a few words that sound like Spanish but not much else. I assume it is Portuguese. As they walk past me, I hear the woman say some words in English and the man answers back with a few English words. Halfway past the plaza the woman seems confused and is looking into her purse. They turn back and walk back to the restaurant. Maybe she left something there.

After about 5 minutes, the couple leaves the plaza and the only people left here are the elderly woman and I. I begin to feel rain sprinkle on my forehead very lightly. Soon after, I see an elderly man walking on the plaza holding a water bottle. He walks up to the old lady and hands her the water bottle and something else. It is a pill and she is taking it with water. After 2 minutes, the old woman gets up and they leave the plaza. I am the only person left and it is raining harder now. My notebook is getting wet so I better get going.