Sarah stood in the shade of the thatch-roofed picnic shelter, sipping on a diet coke as she spitefully contemplated how her weekend had been completely ruined. After two continuous weeks of stressful work, she had been relishing this much needed weekend to herself. That was until Friday night, when a dreaded phone call from her cheerily coercive mother had ended all her hope of relaxation. Before she knew it, she had been roped into helping to prepare for the family picnic that she had no intention of attending in the first place. As a result, she had spent the whole Saturday and Sunday morning at her mother's, slaving away in the kitchen, frantically trying to fulfil the ridiculously long list of finger foods and desserts before jetting off in her car to pick up a bunch of her noisy relatives.
A ray of sunlight pierced through the sparse clouds of the early afternoon sun and Sarah reflexively shielded her eyes with her hand. In her rush to pack up her car and pick up her relatives, she had forgotten to bring her tube of sunscreen and her pale freckled skin was not faring well in the scorching heat. With a sneer, she looked over towards the vast expanse of lush grass covering the picnic area, upon which a dozen of her relatives lay, already sloshed on wine and beer, loudly gossiping and cackling between each other. A series of grating screeches and screams pierced her ears as she turned her gaze towards the handful of bratty nieces and nephews running amuck.
Sarah leaned back against the shelter's wooden beam and chided herself for being so nice and gullible. Why had she even accepted to come here? After all, none of the other cousins had bothered to show up, let alone help out. And yet, here she was, a lonely woman in her mid-twenties, her favourite dress stained with frosting and vanilla extract, as she slowly wasted away the last remaining hours of her weekend. This whole situation was slowly driving her insane and she desperately wanted go home and finally crash on her comfy bed. Yet, as one of the only sober people left in charge of transport, and not wanting to cause a scene, she was left stewing in her own misery.
Finally, Sarah could not take it any longer and needed to at least get away from the commotion. As everyone chatted away distractedly, she filled a Tupperware with a bunch of cupcakes, shoved a few cans of soft drink into her handbag and surreptitiously slipped into the thick trees surrounding the picnic area.
With each crunching step through the thick vegetation, the loud screeching sounds and obnoxious laughter gradually diminished and as she finally emerged into the neighbouring clearing, the cacophony had become barely audible.
Sarah's eyes widened as she marvelled at the cosy little spot of paradise before her. As if plucked from the scene of a Disney movie, a small stream flowed along the edge of the secluded clearing, with the thick overhanging branches from the surrounding trees providing plenty of shade. At the opposite end, hidden within a little nook, a long sturdy bench, carved from a giant fallen tree, beckoned Sarah to rest her weary body.
With a sigh of relief, Sarah plopped herself onto the bench, letting her bag and box of cakes drop onto the ground. She extended her arms above her head and stretched out her whole body as her shoulders and back gave a few satisfying cracks. Turning her attention to her aching feet, she propped up her heels and slid out of the confines of her leather flats. Hot and sweaty from a whole day's frantic running, her toes felt slippery as she wriggled them against the cool steady breeze that gently swept across. As her shoes fell beneath her feet, the strong aroma that had been trapped within wafted into her nostrils.
"Good thing I'm alone!" she chuckled to herself as her nose crinkled.
She looked down at her little black flats. They were the most comfortable shoes she owned and had become her go-to pair ever since she had bought them about six months ago. Sadly, the near daily abuse had taken its toll on them. Sarah noticed how the leather exterior, once smooth and shiny, were now dull and scuffed at the toes. The little decorative buckle on top of each shoe had tarnished and chipped. At the back of the shoes, her habit of constantly slipping them on and off had slightly crushed the back heels and had formed small crack lines. Inside of each shoe, the hundreds of hours of wear had formed an imprint of her feet on the insole. Worst of all, she thought, was the increasingly strong smell. Those flats were not the most breathable and the stench of sweat and leather had built up to a point where she now felt uncomfortable taking her shoes off in public.
"Guess I'll have to go shopping for another pair soon..." she muttered in resignation.
Sarah turned to her small size six and a half feet, which dangled a few inches above the shoes. She spread her toes as wide as she could, letting the cool breeze flow through them. A small smile pursed onto her lips as she saw that the dark violet polish she had applied a few days ago had held on surprisingly well. She had picked the latter on a whim from the large display rack at the department store during her lunch break a week prior. Initially drawn by the name on the little bottle, 'Mystery', it was the pretty glittery specks mixed into the dark shade that had sealed her choice.
"Why do I even bother..." she sighed.
For the amount of effort she put into keeping her feet presentable, it wasn't like anyone ever noticed. In fact, the only compliments she had ever received were from a couple of female co-workers and that one massage therapist a couple of years ago. Although she found the process of pampering her feet rewarding in itself, she often wished that at someone would at least acknowledge the results.
Sarah crossed her left ankle over her right knee and leant forward. Her neck and back strained in protest as she outstretched her arm to grab her foot. Slowly, she began running her fingers along her sole and between her damp toes, brushing off a few stray pieces of lint that had stuck to them. She moaned softly as her small hands, weak and sore from a morning of cooking and baking, started kneading her heel.
"Ughh..." she groaned in exasperation.
This wasn't doing any good. Her tired hands simply weren't strong enough to dig into those knots and within a couple of minutes, her hand seized into a painful cramp, forcing her to stop.
"Screw it..." she muttered.
Releasing her grasp on her foot, she swung her legs onto the bench and lay on her side, cradling her head with her hands. For a moment, she just stared at the beautiful scenery before her, listening to the relaxing sounds of nature. The slightly concave surface of the bench was surprisingly comfortable and soon her eyelids became heavy as the exhaustion that had been piling up throughout the past weeks kicked in. As she closed her eyes, the chirping of small birds overhead, along with the sound of water trickling down the stream, gently lulled her into a deep sleep...
Sarah awoke to the sound of a soft rustling. Forcing her eyes open, she stifled a soft yelp as her blurry vision outlined a figure at the other end of the clearing, facing the stream. A mixture of fear and nervousness instinctively overcame her as she contemplated whether to bolt or stay still and hope to remain unseen. The bench on which she lay was nestled within some trees and it was possible that the person hadn't realised she was even there. Sarah decided on the latter, more optimistic version. Even if he had seen her asleep and vulnerable, she reasoned, no harm had come to her. After all, it could just be some person looking for a moment of respite the same way she was. As such, she decided to wait and observe the situation. Her decision paid off...
As her eyes came into focus, the blurry figure transformed into that of a tall athletic man, rummaging through his rucksack, dressed in a tight shirt and biking shorts. His muddy trail bike was propped up against tree a few metres away. The man took out a sport bottle from the bag and as he lifted it towards his lips, Sarah's heart skipped a beat. Through the distance, and with his back towards her, she could see the outlines of his back muscles moulding his shirt as he drank deeply from his bottle. The afternoon sun, now a light amber, bounced softly onto his manly physique, highlighting his broad shoulders, the V-shape of his lean torso tapering to his powerful legs. Her lips parted slightly as she became transfixed at the gorgeous view unfurling before her.
Sarah's initial fear completely vanished, now replaced with an unfamiliar sensation of exhilaration and wonder. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this way. Her stirred up feelings suddenly brought back memories of her last relationship. It had been nearly a year since the messy breakup, after which she had decided to take a break and throw herself into work. However, the passing months had spiralled into a vicious work cycle, and before she knew it, she was slowly being drowned in loneliness. Sarah felt an ache in her chest as she once more pined for the excitement of a new relationship. Deep down, she missed the companionship, the intimacy of human contact, the feeling of safety that a happy relationship could provide.
