AFFORDING GLANCES

It was something i could only describe as a moment, a breath in time. Nothing out of the ordinary. A special part of the day when time seemed to pause, time held its breath as another second waited in cue to clock out. The teenager id observed many times before, a food vendor from the bad sushi store, forever lost in thought.Hed rest his head on his arm, lip sinking top 40 hits as he cleaned out the refridgerator. Across the food court over the tops of 10 or 11 tables packed with diners a small girl, who did not yet deserve to be described as a woman worked busily with a mop and bucket low behind the counter glass filled with dry looking roast duck and oh so crunchy pork rinds . It was almost closing time. I looked up from a nearly empty bowl of Tom Yum quiot dii ael , the best in town i might add, my eye attracted to the many colors and shapes of the bad sushi vendors stall. I followed the teenage gaze across the court, a gaze shipped off and sealed with a smile. Not just a happy to be going home grin, or a happy to hear my top 40 favourite hit smirk, but a smile that said" I want you".Not an "i want you in the store room, rip your clothes off " i want you, but a "lets hold hands, walk along the banks of the river, talk all night, ill call you tomorrow" i want you.
His gaze dropped as she was too busy to notice, but then as she pushed forward on the mop she afforded a glance in his direction. His teethed flashed and she paused " is he looking at me?"
She smiled down at the soapy bucket of water. A smile meant for herself, maybe amazed that she could still attract attention in her absurd orange hat and rediculously oversized smock.

Turning to the side she had to check if it was real, from behind her glass cabinet she stole a sideways peek at the teen who had turned to pack another tray of fish, rice and seaweed into the fridge. She paused just long enough with her peek for him to turn back to face her again. This time it was her smile that fired off across the room. I could almost see his body temperature rising.

Please copy this into your note book. If i had 1 Baht for everytime id yelled that this year id probably have enough for an overnight local bus to Bangkok.