[Fiction] Lonely Morning Haze

It was a lonely park bench, one where the paint was chipping from the wooden parts, and a small layer of rust covered the screw heads. The seats were not really wet, but not quite really dry either, but rather in a state of indecisive moistness that would bother people who would sit on it, but wouldn't stain clothing. Maybe it was because it was morning, and dewdrops still glittered on the grass that grew around the bench in haggard clumps, looking more tired than they ought to be.

And it was on this nondescript, lonely and inoffensive bench that they sat. A boy and a girl, each one holding a paper cup of expensive coffee, wrapped in Earth-Friendly cardboard sleeves and with the oddly shapped sippy covers.

"So..." the girl spoke, pushing up her glasses further up her nose, her breath coming in small puffs of mist in the cold morning wind. She wore thick clothes to ward of the chill, a beret on her head tilted just so as to appear stylish, "why do you think they have these things, Mark?" she pointed at the oddly shapped sippy cover.

Mark looked at her and shrugged, "Who knows?" he said, looking at his own cup "Maybe it's supposed to stop the stuff from fogging up your glasses." Why are we here, Anna?

Anna's eyes never left her sippy cover, staring at the bead of coffee, light brown and kinda gray in a weird sort of way, dangling near the lip. "Good point." she replied then, bringing the cup to her lips, sipping the coffee, bitter, sweet and rough in some parts. "It really sucks to have your glasses fog up when you drink something hot."

"Yeah," Mark smiled, "I remember being annoyed at that when I still wore glasses. You should really consider getting contact lenses." We're all alone here. What is this all about? Why am I so nervous?

"Maybe." Anna said, drumming her fingertips on the cup, turning to look at him, her voice wavering, "Kerwin dumped me last night."

"What?!"

"He said we weren't going anywhere," Anna, "That we didn't have a future..."

Mark felt his throat go dry, "but wasn't it just your anniversary last week?"

Anna nodded, "He said he had thought about it."

"Thought about what?"

"Our future... and lack thereof." Anna said, taking off her glasses in a hurry as she felt the tears come, "Fuck."

"But you guys had plans!" Mark insisted, What was he thinking? "You and Kerwin were supposed to go into that business, right? After we all graduated."

"I know." Anna fumbled for a hankerchief, her glasses dangling from her hand as she sniffled, "I know we did..." she dabbed her eyes then, "I don't understand it either."

What do I say? Mark looked at her then, "Anna... I don't know if anything that I can say will make you feel any better, but at least you know that I'll be here."

Anna looked up at him, her eyes a little red. A tear rolling down her cheek.

"We'll have coffee together on this ratty bench in the mornings..." Mark trailed on, what am I babbling on about!? "At least you've still go that right?"

Anna smiled a little, "Was that supposed to make me feel better? Knowing that I've lost the man I wanted to spend my life with and all I have to show for it is lousy coffee, a rusty bench, and a guy without a single romantic bone in his body to keep me company?"

Ouch "Umm... yeah?"

Anna sighed, her breath still coming in little suddering gasps, as she took a sip of her coffee. "Yeah." she said, still sad, and yet grateful for his company. "I've still got this."