I'm still breathing so hard, I think the fear and the mad dash were a bit much for my lungs.
I don't say anything as I try to catch my breath and check to see if anyone followed me.
"Did you spill your coffee?" She ask after spotting my wet front.
I nod, "Can I have some water, please?"
She passes me some water and I gulp it down fast.
I stay in there a few more minutes and I decide to ask her if she knew what was going on outside. I can see she knows something but she denies knowledge of what was going on outside. She even goes and check the street for men with horses but finds none.
I don't believe it so I go and check too and see the street that I originally know. So now I'm feeling like I lost my mind for a bit there.
"Here's another cup to make up for the one that spilled."
I look at her suspiciously but decide to take the coffee. I try to pay but she says it's free and refuses to take the money.
I walk out and eye the street up and down for any signs of horses or a particularly dark man with a wide brimmed hat.
It occurs to me as I walk back to my little shop were I originally started from, that the man's outfit would allow him to blend-in in dark places. Which are plenty by the way, making me wonder were the lights from a while ago had gone to?
That frightened me into running to the taxi rank. I have never been so scared in my life and I guess I can never know for sure if what I saw was real or not.
...
It been a week since the coffee shop incident. I have been to the place where I saw the coffee shop everyday since but I can't find it. The shop on the same spot is closed, with a big sign saying a 'For Rent' in front.
I can't even begin to explain it to myself what actually happened that night but I know- Ohh I'm positive- I saw something that day. Other worldly kind of something.
I keep having bad dreams since that night. A man in dark clothes, on a dark horse with a wide brimmed hat over his eyes is haunting my sleep. I can barely sleep till morning, when I do I run in my dreams all night. When morning comes, I will be so tired I can barely function well.
Like today, I just made it to closing time and am so exhausted I don't even know why I'm still going in the direction of the coffee shop. It's like I'm trying to not find it so that I can convince my poor brain to stop making up a man to haunt my dreams. A man I might not have seen in real life.
I know what the problem is, it's that 'might' that keep messing me up. I need to convince myself one hundred percent that I did not meet a man in black or see buildings that look like they're out of a sci-fi movie.
I'm almost there and I can see the shop is closed again. With a big sign saying, 'FOR RENT'.
Urrrgggg!!!
I want to scream but I don't even have enough energy for that. Maybe I should get a Poweraid or a Redbull. I have never drank it before but I'm willing to try if it will give me wings like they say on the ads. Lol. I'm officially loosing my mind.
I cross the road to a supermarket across the road to buy some Redbull cause I really want some insta energy to atleast get home right now.
I go straight for the refrigerators and look for some Redbull cause I think it will give me more energy that a Poweraid.
But there's a problem. After looking at the refrigerator with the energy drinks, I'm confused. Why is it so hard to be an adult? Can't there just be one or two kinds of one thing? Why do there have to be so many options!
I'm looking at this vast, and I mean vast selection of energy drinks that vary from horse energy to dragon energy. There is even demon and beast, no angel though or God. Too bad, I would have loved those. How is one ever supposed to choose just one, anyway?
I think I have been looking at these drinks for a good ten minutes now. I'm leaning towards the dragon one cause bull now looks dull compared to dragon. A dragon obviously has more energy so...
I'm not touching anything with a horse on it! I refuse to even look at it!
I feel really spoiled right now. Aunt Kathy always did the shopping for me. I never had to choose anything. Even the things that I still use now, they are all the same brands that Aunt Kathy always bought.
She never bought an energy drink before so I have to choose this one by myself.
Urrgg! Why is this harder than I expected? Maybe I should just close my eyes and pick one. Good idea.
So I close my eyes and pick. When I open my eyes to take a look, I throw it away like it bit me.
It's a bloody horse! Why did it have to be a horse!!!
"Careful! You almost dropped this, Babe."
"Wow! Nice reflexes," I say in a weak voice that doesn't sound as amazed as I am. I don't blame me, I blame the lack of sleep. And I blame the lack of sleep on you know who.
Anyway, this guy just caught the drink I dropped like it bit me. I am really grateful cause I almost paid for that horse and that was not going to sit well with me.
I know I'm being a little much but believe me, lack of sleep does things to you. I feel like I'm both paranoid and obsessed with what I saw that day.
Back to the present, hmmm, this guy looks familiar. He's placing the drink back in the refrigerator, so I can only see the side of his face. I look intently as he picks an energy drink and shows it to me.
"I would recommend this one," he says turning to me and I finally see, it's that stalker guy.
"Thanks," I say, collecting the drink and walk away.
What bad luck. I thought I had avoided him today by leaving work early. What was he doing in here?
"I ahh, missed you at your shop today," I hear him say as he follows right behind me to the till.
I feel like ditching this drink now but I say, "Really? Are you a regular cause I don't remember you?" Since I can't pretend like I didn't see him, I will have to act like I don't remember him.
It's not that he's bad looking, on the contrary, he's very cute. Well built, a little taller than average, good looking, neatly dressed. There's nothing wrong with him, that's why I don't like him.