text: Normally, my morning coffee is prepared in five minutes. I sit and wait for those five minutes. Wait for the readiness of handling what life brings with urgency. Normally, my mind stays blank for those five minutes. A vessel waiting to drink it’s purpose and ambition. However, today she waited across from me. This wasn’t normal. A woman with hair as long and black as a river lit by the night sky. Hazel eyes as piercing and as vast as the Nile desert. I thought of her name. Sandra? Maria? Dolores? What would her name be? I went with Riviera. I look at her and pondered what kind of person is this. Does she believe in anything? Is she troubled? Is she going through something hard, dealing with a situation all by herself with no help? Does she have a funny laugh? Broad questions that lead to complex thoughts. I imagined my life with Riviera. I imagined her face inches from mine, staring into my thoughts as if a painter stroking their emotions into a canvas. I imagined a long walk at the park discussing life and all it’s hardships and chaos. We enjoy the chaos. We sit down and look at people walking by. Human beings passing our existence with an existence equally as complex as ours. As we sonder, I look up. The sky is blue, with clouds shaped like heaven. I see children playing on swings next to us, and reminisce on the innocence of childhood. I tell her, “Have you ever wondered what the child version of you would think of how your life turned out? She says, “Yes, all the time.” “Would they be disappointed?” “If they were, it’s not for me to answer, only to reflect.” At that moment, I fell in love. In my mind, Riviera is my soul mate. The one who feels emotions with every ounce of their being. The one who can laugh at themselves when they make mistakes. The one who isn’t afraid of life and it’s turmoil. The one who enjoys every breath, every moment, every second. The vessel that humbles my heart, and protects my spirit. We’re old now. In our deathbed. As we both lay down and prepare for the afterlife, we lay on our side across from each other and stare deeply into our eyes. I look into the mystic and see love. I see someone who, despite decades passing, still looks at me with eyes that touch my soul. I look at her and do the same. As we close our lenses and take our final breath, it is one. It’s been five minutes. Today, a life existed in those five minutes. A life as profound as eternity, hidden in the mind. A momentary capsule of what could be, but never will. A fairy tale. I look at the counter and see my name plastered on a plastic cup. It’s time to go. I take one more look at Riviera. She notices me. I smile and nod. She does the same.