I was at Ross returning a dress that I absolutely loved until I realized it had a pen mark and a tear at the seam. Typical Ross. Anyway, I saw my Spanish professor, from college, wandering around looking confused. He is originally from Spain and and speaks little to no English so it always made me a little sad that he was alone in a foreign land, single and could only speak to his fellow Spanish faculty. He’s sweet and funny and taught us how to say ‘joint,’ a word which of course I’ve since forgotten. I was in his classes for two full years and got to know him better than any of my other professors. I wanted to say “Hi,” thinking maybe it would brighten up his day a bit and make him feel a little less lost. But I didn’t want him to know how bad my Spanish has become. So I snuck in line and avoided his gaze.

I kept watching him, promising myself that I would say hi if he was still here when I was done. Suddenly he smiled and started to walk over. I was nervous he spotted me. I noticed his eyes twinkling, his goofy smile and his grayed curly hair bouncing with each step. He looked genuinely excited to see me and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I smiled and he stretched his arms out, his smile softened but his eyes still gleamed. He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at the older lady in front of me with dark hair pulled high in a cheerful ponytail. She was just finished, Alfaro took her bag for her and they walked out the door, his arm around her waist and her head on his shoulder. And it made me happy.