I sat by the small pool in the café where I always sat; I had been there for a long time. It was almost half past ten and it was summer. I had been going there every night for a while; it was my one favourite place in London. The sun was shining brightly, bathing the city in a thin bright haze. It had rained the night before and in the distance I could see the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben glistening; the pigeons were resting on the steps of the river.
'So how was it?' a voice said as I looked up from the dark water. I sat there for a few moments, sipping my coffee, watching the small ripples in the pool, a solitary bird flew overhead. Then I lifted my head, looked at the person in front of me, and I smiled.
'It was nice,' I said to her. 'He's a good man.'
'So will you go out with him?' she asked.
'I don't think so,' I said. She looked a little bit upset. 'We will be friends, that's it.'
'What's wrong with you?' she said. 'You're a beautiful lady and you should be dating.'
'I don't want to date,' I said.
'You must want to, from time to time,' she said.
'I don't,' I said.
'So what's wrong with you?' she asked me.
'Nothing,' I said.
It was a hot summer's day and I was sitting outside the café with my dog. He was a good friend of mine; he listened to me, he was very patient. Then I heard a noise; it was a familiar and I opened my eyes.
'What you're doing?' a voice asked.
It was my neighbour; she was looking at me, a smile on her face.
'I'm sleeping,' I replied. 'What are you doing?'
'I'm looking for a new apartment,' she said. 'I'm moving in with my boyfriend.'
'So what's wrong with the one that you have?' I asked.
'Oh nothing,' she said. 'I just found a better place. So why are you here? You look as if you're stressed.'
'I am,' I said.
'I can see that,' she said. 'Just let it go. That's what friends are for. It's over; relax.'
'I can't help it,' I said. 'I'm in the middle of something and it's getting serious. We've been together for four years and it's still new.'
'Well that's good,' she said. 'You have to have faith in the relationship; if you're happy, then you can trust in it. I'm moving out. I thought you might want to come with me.'
'I can't,' I said. 'I can't move.'
'So what will you do?' she asked me.
I looked at the dog, then I looked into her eyes.
'I'm not sure,' I said. 'I will think about it.'
'Do you have anything to decide?' she asked.
'I have to think about it,' I said. 'I have to decide what I want.'
'You won't be able to do that here,' she said. 'It's only a matter of time. You need to move on. People change; it's part of life.'
'I need to think about it,' I said. 'If I move to another place, then I need to find an apartment that doesn't have my name on it.'
'What will you do?' she asked me.
'I don't know,' I said. 'I'll think about it. I want to feel at home and I want to feel at peace.'
The dog leaned his ear on my knee and I started to cry. She looked at me and then she left.
A few months later, I was sitting in the living room where I usually sat. Then I heard the door open and I heard a familiar voice.