Reaching out

It was a dull morning in Bristol, the sky was slate grey, and to top it all, it was drizzling. But Zara didn't notice the weather, she was focused. She had finally plucked up enough courage for this moment. She would not wave today, instead she would invite the person she had been greeting every morning for the last months into her home.

Punctual as usual, they were walking down Garnet Street. To where, Zara didn’t know. But maybe today she would find out. She held her breath and rapped on the lounge window. When, on the opposite side of the street, {{sub}} stopped and looked over, Zara gestured for them to come over. She then quickly made her way to the front door. And with a deep breath, she opened it. ‘Come in. Please. I’d like to talk with you, proper, like. By the way, I’m Zara.’ She almost shouted, nerves getting the better of her.

The morning sun drew long shadows across the road. The breath of the figure Zara watched trailed behind them in the cold, crisp air. As usual, {{sub}} waved back at Zara, with a friendly smile on their lips. This ritual had been shared between them for the last six months. Although she didn't know anything else about them, they were like friends, of a sort.

After they turned the corner into Chessel street, Zara sighed quietly and returned to the kitchen. Her laptop was waiting for her to continue the chapter she had been working on. The one featuring a romance between the Grange knight and the Lady of the Manse. A chapter Zara had been wrestling with most of the morning. There were so many loose ends to tie together. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. A message from her friend Cassie. She read the brief apology and felt a cloud of depression descend over her. Cassie couldn't make it over, a crisis at home. She did promise to phone as soon as possible, which gave Zara something to hold on to. But she wanted to cry. She realised how much she relied on her friend’s visits. Cassie was her link to the outside world. Without her crude humour and the updates on her social life, the evening promised to be very lonely.

While Zara was stirring a milky cup of tea, she recalled the advice her therapist gave her during their last visit. She recommended Zara should make an effort to connect, to open herself up to opportunities that present themselves. Without Cassie, Zara realised she would have to find someone else to stave off her loneliness. As she sat down to continue her writing, she sighed. The motivation to continue had evaporated. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and stood up, walked over to the bay window and sat on the low sill. The sky was darkening, maroon clouds lowered over the roofs of the terrace opposite. The street, now drenched from a recent shower, reflected the orange of the street lights. She knew what she was about to do was perhaps a mistake, but she had made her mind up. Today would be the day to actually speak to the neighbour, with whom she shared an unconventional bond.

Zara left the bathroom feeling refreshed and made her way into the lounge. Pulling on her favourite jumper, a baggy brown thing that reminded her of her cat she left back in Leeds. She quickly tidied up the lounge, throwing last night’s empty pizza box in the bin and putting the empty wine glass in the sink. Finally, she drank the last of the wine from the bottle before tossing it into the recycling bin in the backyard. An attempt to calm her nerves.

Peeking out the window, Zara noticed the neighbour coming up the street. Her stomach was doing backflips as she opened the door. Zara adjusted her glasses, and, yes, it was definitely them, she thought. Although she couldn't see their face in the twilight, {{poss}} posture was unmistakable. ‘Heya...erm... I’m Zara, the one who waves at you every mornin’ aye?’ She called out across the street. But then she was abruptly lost for words. On the edge of panic, she then, without thinking, shouted, ‘er...would you like to come in? I need someone to talk to, proper, like. Please.’ Her clipped Yorkshire vowels rang out in the night air, like anxious fireworks.

Zara wanted the ground to swallow her up. She was convinced she sounded like a babbling idiot. But the figure across the street didn’t walk away. Quite the opposite, they were approaching with that familiar walk of {{poss_p}}.

The sofa creaked in protest as Cassie Barnett turned to look over at her friend Zara, who was by the bay window looking out across Garnet street. ‘Do you really wave at them every morning, and never said a fucking world to them? Girl, you're crazy.’ Cassie cackled. She knew her friend was just trying to make a connection, but it still irked her that Zara had never made any attempt to speak to them. ‘Leave off Cassie. They’re proper friendly, you know? Besides, it would be weird to invite them in now. After six months of wavin’ and nothin’ more.’ Zara sighed. Deep down, she knew Cassie was right, but if she told her so, she’d never hear the last of it. ‘What do you mean? I think it's weird not to invite them in for a chat or even a smoke.’ Cassie laughed as she waved a fresh joint. Zara turned away from the window and adjusted her glasses. ‘What do you know anyway? You still live with your mum.’ Ugh, Zara thought, that was a low blow. ‘Sorry. Really. You’re right Cassie. I should do somethin’. Six months of wavin’, and I don’t even know their name.’ She returned her attention to the street, they’ll be walking by anytime soon. ‘Yeah...well, my mum...is struggling at the moment and needs someone to look out for her. But no harm done, you’re still my friend.’ Cassie lit her joint and took a long drag. ‘This is lush, you should have one.’ She realised why she liked coming here.

While Cassie was slumped on the sofa, Zara noticed her neighbour walking along the pavement on the opposite side of the road. She waited until {{sub}} looked over and waved. A broad smile on her face. Cassie suddenly sat up and chuckled to herself before getting up and running for the front door. ‘Don't Cassie, please. Don’t you fuckin’ dare! You're going to ruin everythin’! No!’ Zara realised she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t leave the house, her agoraphobia would see to that. All she could do was watch from the window.

Cassie took no time crossing the road, she was laughing as she ran. ‘Hey, hey. Sorry, but we need to talk, yeah?’ She stopped and took a deep breath, then coughed loudly. Damn that joint, she thought. ‘So you've been waving at my friend for like...six months, yeah, and you never thought you should introduce yourself? Come on, mate, you don’t wave at someone that long and pretend you don’t want to know about them.’ Cassie grinned. They hadn’t run away, which was a good sign. ‘Her name is Zara. She’s agoraphobic. And she's proper smart, she writes books. Look, I can't force you to come back with me. But, really, here’s a chance to introduce yourself at least. Maybe I’ll share a joint too. What do you say?’

Zara watched from the window at Cassie, she was gestating and grinning, at least she was enjoying herself. Then she had a sinking feeling. What if that the person she had built an unconventional friendship with would be disappointed when meeting her? This is no good, she thought, it's too late to have doubts now. She decided to occupy herself.

‘I’m in here, makin’ a cuppa for us all. I'll be with you two in a moment.’ Zara called out as she heard the front door slam shut. Zara walked into the lounge carrying three mugs of tea. Cassie was looking smug, sitting on the window sill. While their guest was camped on the sofa. ‘Aye, I guess Cassie told you all about me?’ She questioned {{obj}} as she handed over a mug of tea. ‘To even things up, why not tell me a little about yourself?’ Zara grinned, before winking at Cassie. This is really happening, she thought, thanks to my barmy friend.