Closing

It was cold that night. The rain had begun early in the afternoon, and contiunued in a slight drizzle through nightfall. It was the kind of rain that barely rains at all, as if the clouds had a runny nose.

The streets were reflective like glass, losing their sheen only when cars slid by with a hiss. The sky was a aglow with the colors of the city lights.

The bus stop was completely vacant save for one young woman sitting on the right side of the bench.

Her appearance was simple enough. A white cotton halter top and blue jeans. A pair of white and black flats on her feet. Her dark hair was pulled back and out of her face, with many strands escaping the tie here and there. Two long strands hung by her face.

A breeze blew across her pale skin, and made her shiver. She wished she'd brought a jacket.

She turned her dark eyes up to the sky. It was so beautiful. She would try to remember it in her mind.

The sound of footsteps on wet pavement caught her attention. Turning, she saw it was a businessman.

He walked up slowly, his shoulders slumped, probably after a long day.

"Is anyone sitting here?"

The woman shook her head.

"Nope. Knock yourself out."

He nodded, seemingly relieved, and took his seat beside her, scooting to the opposite edge to allow proper social distance between them.

The woman shifted as she pulled a yellow lighter from her jeans pocket, along with a cigarette. Taking a drag, she examined the man out of the corner of her eye.

He was a normal looking business fellow. Dark grey suit, glossy black dress shoes, white shirt underneath. She couldn't make out the details of his tie from that angle, but it had some red lines in it. Probably your typical generic wal mart tie.

His hair was a light brownish blonde color, spilling out from under his fedora. His eyes were light, probably blue, it was hard to tell in the dim light. She could tell that they were tired eyes, this was apparent despite the lighting. He was probably much older than he looked.

The man met her gaze.

"You shouldn't do that, you know."

The young woman turned her head to look at him straight on.

"Do what?"

"Smoke those things," he replied. The woman raised her eyebrow.

"What's it to ya?"

A slight smile crossed the man's lips, barely there, but still defined.

"You're young," he said, turning his gaze to a small group of people leaving the diner across the street, "You should enjoy your healthy body while it's still yours. Time is like a thief in the night. One day you wake up and everything's gone."

It was the womans turn to smile a bit. She turned her gaze back to the sky.

"That's pretty deep," she remarked, "are you like a shrink or somethin?"

She heard him rustling in his coat pocket briefly, and glanced over as he handed her a small white business card.

" 'Jon Howel'," she read aloud, " 'Information Analyst, Mason Enterprises' ". She gave a low whistle "Sounds expensive".

She went to hand it back to him, but he put his hand up.

"Keep it," he said, "I have about a million of them."

"Well, John of Mason Enterprises," she replied, leaning forward to tuck the card in her back pocket, "Do you like your job?"

The man was quiet for a few moments. A car slowed to a stop at the intersection, washing the bus stop with pale light before murmuring forward and away into the night.

"Life is like cutting a pattern into tall grass with a lawn mower," the man replied at length, "you work and work for days, weeks, years, and the only time you can see your progress is when you reach the end and turn around."

He glanced at her briefly before looking up at the sky as she had before. She joined his gaze.

"You make a good point. Do you like what you see when you turn around?"

The man gave a slight chuckle.

"You can only run from yourself from so long you know? Whether I like it or not, its there. And I've accepted that."

The woman nodded, flicked away her cigarette butt, and got to her feet. She walked over to where he was sitting.

Within a heartbeat's time, she produced a flat blade from her pocket and plunged it into his chest. He grunted in pain, and she took his hand in hers.

"I'll tell them you died with honor." she said, gazing into his eyes. They were blue after all.

"Th...thank you..." he wheezed..."I leave behind....no regrets..."

His life faded, and with a soft hush he was gone.

She removed the blade from him, and closed his eyes with the handle so as not to leave any evidence.

Walking down the dark, empty street, she pulled a white cloth from her back pocket and wrapped the knife in it, then dropped it down the nearest rain gutter. It hit the bottom with a hollow splish.

The debt was paid. Time to inform her employers.