After receiving nothing else for an hour, I dedided to leave my apartment for the first time in a week for something other than work... Luckily today was my day off.

I slipped a shirt and some pants on, because I was just in my boxers, slipped some money in my pocket for groceries, and left.

The air was cool and crisp on my face. I hiked up my jacket as I walked through the crowds of people to the nearest grocery store. You could feel fall approaching.

It felt strange, the air did. I was in the city, and as polluted as it was, when I breathed the air in, it felt as clean and clear as a river in the mountains where no one lived.

That's what it was, a river of fresh air running into my lungs, and filling me with a peace I hadn't known for a long time.

Azura's face flashed in my mind while I stared at the ground when walking to the store. It stopped me in my tracks and I caught my breath, for it had come so suddenly.

Her mouth moved, but no sound came... I tried to read her lips a few times, but her mouth became blurred each time...

"Watch it, asshole!" a man who bumped me as he passed yelled at me. The image was lost at that moment, and I looked up and caught the man's eye..

He stopped walking, and after a few seconds a look of recognition touched his eyes.

The man was tall: about six feet and a few or so inches, and he had dark eyes and hair. His cheekbones werer highly defined against his thin face... He looked young, no older than I.

He beamed at me. "Irah? Irah Nelson?"

"That's Nielson, and yeah," I replied, straightening my back. "D- do I know you?" He looked familiar, but I couldn't place a name...

"Well, you should..." he paused, obviously looking for a name from me, but all I did in reply was raise an eyebrow.

The man moved closer. "Elye..." He raised both eyebrows, testing my memory it seemd. "Elye Wheeler, man!" He finished, slapping my arm. "C'mon! Graduation wasn't even two years ago, and we only stopped hangin' out the year before!"

"Oh! Elye! I remember you now, yeah," I said, even though I still had no idea who Elye was. "How ya been, man?"

We gripped hands and patted each other on the back with our free hand in a way that was currently the national greeting-an-any-other-purpose-it-may-serve handshake.

"I've been good, man, yeah... how about you? What've you been up to lately?"

"Oh, nothing really; you know, same old, same old. Have you been up to anything new?"

"Actually, yes," He scratched the back of his head and looked down. He looked nervous about something. "Me and Jessica are still together... it's been three years now, and I asked her to marry me just last week..."

"Oh, really? Well congratulations!" I didn't understand it, but I had a sudden quenching in my stomach, like I wasn't supposed to be happy for them.

But as soon as I said that, an obvious relief came over him: his shoulders relaxed and he placed his hand in his pockets, and even let out a sigh of relief.

"Wow, I'm so glad you took that so well... hey, do you wanna go get a bite to eat or something?"P<> "Oh, sure," I said, reaching into my pocket for my money. "Just let me see how much money I have."

I took out a crumpled wad and separated it. I had just two bills, and both were twenties.

"Hey," I said. "Look's like I've got forty dollars, but I can't spen too much. I was planning on getting some groceries for my frige..."

"Alright, we'll go somewhere cheap."

And we headed for McDonald's... Who'd figure that?