the girl and the grasshopper - part II

Reginald and the girl sat and talked for hours, or hundreds and hundreds of minutes, though neither of them realized the passing of the time, but only vaguely noticed the darkening sky, not paying it a whit. Reginald told her what the world looked like to him, and how his family was, and what his friends did for fun. (They played chess and Loved to eat tomato leaves, and occasionally read Emerson essays to their chess-playing companions.) The girl told Reginald what her world was like. They had different experiences, though they lived so close to each other. And then it was dark, and the outside lights of the coffee shop came on like winking smile-eyes, and both were expected home for dinner. So they made plans to meet again, since they both realized that friendship like this was a rare treat.

Reginald un-cricked his legs as he got up to say goodby, and adjusted his hat as he bowed a heart-felt bow to the girl. "Good evening, my dear Lady." The girl nodded to him, smiling. "God-speed, my dear fellow." And they both walked off into the gathering dusk.