Two Seconds Later

Have you ever thought of the opportunities which could present themselves with the ability to freeze time and space? As Carl watched his crush trip, sending her books flying in front of her, he thought of this concept with deep intrigue. “If I could just freeze time I could catch her books and her before they hit the ground, deterring the dirty mess which is sure to follow,” he said to himself with such conviction he even played the scenario out in his mind.

Yet it didn’t matter what he conceived in his mind, the fact of the matter was, two seconds later those books were going to fall. Two seconds later, she was going to fall. Instead of wasting time playing fairy tales in his head he lurched forward, placing himself by her side as quickly as possible. It was all he could do after all.

Now walking by her side, Carl thought how silly the idea of stopping time to catch her had been. His actions would have appeared heroic and though perhaps it would have made her grow fonder of him, wouldn’t it have been for the wrong reason? Wouldn’t she rather grow closer to someone who cared for her no matter how the situation presented itself instead of someone who manipulated time to make things better for himself? He liked the fact that instead of looking heroic he could now be himself–helpful and caring.

As they walked they exchanged stories of their daily lives, their hobbies and their ambitions. He told her of his dream to make it on Broadway one day and she told him of her dreams of becoming a doctor,  helping the sick. Though they had often bumped into each other before, they had never really talked deeply amongst each other. In a way

Soon enough they made it out of the park they crossed daily on their way to school. Positioned in the center of the growing city, the park was a breath away from the entropy that surrounded them and into tranquillity. The twenty minutes extra it took them to walk, instead of taking a bus, were a welcomed gift.

As they walked towards school Carl got in front of Janelle, walking backwards on the sidewalk. It was a folly he would never get to regret.

Again he found himself thinking of the concept of freezing time. It bothered him to think this could be happening to him, the one day he finally made breakthrough.

“If I could just stop time for a second I could take one step forward. That’s all I need.” Yet it didn’t matter what he thought, not anymore. The fact was two seconds later, nothing would matter.

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