It was raining today, so instead of taking her usual spot on the bench, Irma decided to just sit in and stare out the window. She didn't offer me a seat. I stood behind her chair for a few minutes but then began to feel weird about it, so I pulled up a chair for myself and sat down next to her.
We sat there in silence, watching the rain drops trickle down the glass window. Not many people were out.
Sometimes I thought I would catch a hint of a smile come across Irma's face, but I was never sure because it was just slight enough to make me consider whether or not I had hallucinated it. But I think it was real, because I felt like each time I noticed the corners of her mouth begin to angle up, her eyes were focused on some unfortunate person caught in the rain, running to catch a bus on the corner or shielding their head with a newspaper in the downpour.
I think that she amuses herself through the discomfort of others.
After an hour or so, the Kit-Kat in my pocket began to beckon, so I quietly pulled it out and started to open the wrapper, trying not to disturb the silence. Finally I broke off a section of wafer and looked back up at Irma before biting into it. Her gaze didn't move. She just extended her hand towards me and muttered, "Gimme a break."
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