Wintertime Woes - Short Story by Cassidy Forsyth
- Cassidy Forsyth
- Sep 3, 2024
- 5 min read
Wintertime Woes is a story of a young woman longing for romance, but when she meets a handsome stranger at a café, she is reintroduced to a different kind of love than what she had in mind.
Wintertime Woes
A cool breeze ran by, carrying on its shoulders the weight of an icy winter’s day. Yet, Maria was safely secured inside the coffee shop, cosy and cuddled up in her brown winter coat. She held between her hands a mug of hot chocolate, nestling the sugary drink as a sort of refuge from the storm outside where people bustled to and fro and dragged friends and family down the busy town street. Maria watched as steam rose up from her drink, forming in the air shapes akin to hearts and circles and spirals; all things whimsical and wondrous. This mug had become her staring ground, a place where she could hide her thoughts as her mind drifted and her heart took the lead.
She could dream here, you see — away from all the memories of times long gone, and away from all she knew of the life she lived, but did not any longer desire to participate in. Maria had for so long been a victim of the everyday world, that she now had developed a greater vision. This vision was one of freedom - TRUE freedom. There was a life somewhere out there that did not consist of constant deadlines and careful treading. It wasn’t about staying within the boundaries, but rather exploring what had never been done before. This was her true reality.
In a snapshot, Maria was drawn out of her cottage in the forest. Here she was again, seated by the window of an old coffee shop (it had been here as long as she could remember, one of the few things that had not changed in her fast-paced town) entrance bell jingling at the arrival of a new customer. That was the first time she had seen him.
He was beautiful.
At first, all she could see was his silhouette. The light shone bright from outside, and as he made his way into the café, she took note of his blonde-streaked hair, sharp jawline and thick-framed glasses. Yet, these were not the features that drew her. Tucked gently, almost lovingly, under his right arm was an old-looking book with a scarlet cover and silver edged pages. As he moved, Maria could not remove her gaze from this mysterious book, regardless of her pathetic attempts to appear busy. Tucking a curl once more behind her ear, Maria nervously looked down at her drink. Still the steam was rising, just as she had left it. In reality, nothing had changed and she was still no closer to her dream life than she was a moment ago. What had felt so real, was so still so far from her grasp.
“Excuse me,” she heard from beside her, “may I sit here? All the other tables are full, and I wouldn’t ask but I don’t really want to leave cos I just ordered a croissant and—“
The man took a deep breath.
“Sorry,” he began again, “are you very busy?”
Stunned, Maria stayed silent for a moment. Then, realising what he had said, she answered, “No! No, not at all actually… or maybe just a little, but I guess you could sit here if you sit quietly.”
She grimaced at her choice of words. She didn’t sound rude, did she? The stranger’s hair glimmered in the afternoon sun. Though weak, the light from outside seemed to envelope him in summery warmth that Maria had not experienced in a very long while.
The owner turned the music up, and the soft whisper of jazz was like a warm embrace. Maria felt she was in a movie.
This coffee shop, once old and boring, had now become bright and exciting and beautiful and exhil—
“Hey, what are you working on?”
The look of innocent curiosity was plain on his face. In fact, it was so much so that Maria felt compelled to share. She turned her laptop (only slightly) for him to see. There were only a few lines of writing, for she had not gotten much done.
He smiled.
“Ah,” he said, “I see you are a writer.”
Maria shook her head.
“Not exactly,” she replied, “I am a wannabe writer stuck in a shop assistant’s body.”
The handsome stranger nodded knowingly. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.
“What’s holding you back?” he asked.
“Is it money, support… fear?”
Maria took a moment to think before she responded. What was holding her back?
“Perhaps I just don’t know where to begin.”
He smiled even wider. He seemed to know something Maria didn’t. He pulled the red book out from under his arm and slammed it down on the table with a ‘thud’. Dust rose up from the wooden table, possibly so ancient by this point that it was an antique.
“Hey, don’t go breaking up the place now, Joe!” a voice yelled from behind the coffee counter.
Maria was puzzled. They seemed to know her new acquaintance quite well, and yet, she had never once in her many years seen him here.
Joe was visibly excited.
“Well perhaps— I can help you.
Who is the greatest author of all time?”
Maria replied in a heartbeat, “Virginia Woolf.”
Joe seemed to weigh her answer within himself.
“Alright… but wouldn’t you say that the greatest author of all time would be the author of life itself?”
Maria felt even more puzzled. Just who exactly was this strange, philosophical man?
“If there were such a thing, I’m sure they would be,” she replied.
Joe nodded enthusiastically.
“But there is, you see, there is! And this is His favourite book, written by all His closest friends!”
He slid the thick, hardcover book across the table. Maria turned her head to read the inscription:
Holy Bible
1995 edition.
Maria rolled her eyes. Of course, she was ridiculous to think that a random handsome stranger would take an interest in her. No, she should have known better.
Maria began to slide the book back the stranger and gather together her things, hot chocolate still untouched, probably lukewarm by this point.
Joe shoved the scarlet book into her arms.
“Just take it!” he said, “And look at it, think about it. I promise you you won’t regret at least giving it a try.”
Maria slammed her laptop shut.
“Alright, Mr ‘Joe’, I suppose you have made your point.”
Bible in one hand and laptop bag swung over her shoulder, Maria rushed out of the coffee shop, eager to get away from more false hope and empty promises.
The Bible felt like velvet to her touch. It seemed to burn in her hands, as though it were on fire. But still, the cloud of her disillusionment hung heavy over her head and her heart. Images of her mother’s funeral, flashes of her brother at the airport and her father’s disappointed face all flew at her like arrows shot from a bow.
She clutched tightly to a stranger’s gift and fought her way through the stormy weather.
Tucked into her bed that evening, Maria opened the pages of an all-too-familiar book, and at the sight of those words, Maria wept.
Let your lives be without love of money, and be content with the things you have. For He has said:
“I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5 MEV.
© 2024 by Cassidy Forsyth
Thank you for reading Wintertime Woes by Cassidy Forsyth! You can find more of my work here on my website, such as my children's adventure books, the Hank Habsburg series.
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Cassidy Forsyth is an aspiring young author and a dream-chaser from Cape Town, South Africa. She has a passion for inspiring others to live out their purpose and change the world. Through sharing stories and wild adventures, she hopes to spark a child-like sense of wonder in readers from all over the globe.
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