One cold day in December, I went to a nearby restaurant for lunch with GJ. As we were taking off our coats to sit down at the counter, someone called out from the table behind us. “Amanda?”
I turned around, and there was Junya, sitting at the table behind us with a friend. “Oh! Hey..?” I sputtered for a bit, awkwardly, ending on, “Long time no see.”
We nodded, smiled at each other, and then…went back to our respective conversations.
We had eaten so many times at this restaurant together.
When I went back to my desk after lunch, I took one last, long look at the photo of him and I taped under the plastic cover of my desk. There we were, in the dusky light, waiting for fireworks. Another photo, placed right above it, was of R and X and I, waiting for those same fireworks.
Just a heartbeat, and everything has changed.
I took another photo I had, of R and I and lots of other friends, and placed it over top of Junya. It was time. It was way past time. I just finally noticed, is all.
