30-Day Blog Challenge: 08 Reprise

Day 08: Write about a stranger you see, their back-story or what they are thinking in the moment you see them.
I told you I wouldn’t move on without writing about this topic…

Alex Lee sits by himself in a crowded cafe and is completely focused on his computer screen. The world around him means nothing as he sits and stares into the world of spreadsheets opened before him. This has been his daily routine for nearly a month ever since moving to San Francisco. He has been struggling to find his foothold in the city. Working as a photographer on the East Coast has managed to net him some freelance jobs every now and then for small events, but he feels like the current work is below him. He tolerates it begrudgingly because of his new wife.

Angela works in a hospital not too far from Alex’s cafe. She recently got hired as the hospital director and needed to move across the country to accept the position. Alex, deciding his love for her was more important than money, gave up everything and uprooted himself to maintain the marriage. He doesn’t regret his decision but finds it difficult from time to time to cope with his new life.

The phone rings. Alex already knows that its Angela calling as its nearly 5:00pm. She’s about to get off of work, and this has grown to become a daily ritual. Yet every time he hears the ring, he experiences the same painful resurgence of emotions. “She’s succeeded. I’m happy for her. But what about me? Where is my life headed next?”