Lilt — Long-Sleeve Tee

You had a very good reply prepared. There was an opening sentence, a useful pause, and a final detail that would have made your position difficult to misunderstand. You were rehearsing it while waiting outside when something moved above the roofs. For a moment you looked up. When you looked down again, the reply had lost all interest in being delivered.

The person you were meeting arrives and apologizes for being late. You say it is fine, which on this occasion means exactly what it says. They follow your gaze and ask what you were looking at. You point, then have to point somewhere else. The sky has rearranged the answer.

Inside, the conversation takes a different turn. You hear something you did not know. You say something you had not planned to say. The excellent opening sentence remains unused, but there will probably be another opportunity; you are rarely short of opinions.

Your friend notices the patterned sleeves when you reach for your glass. They like the pale shapes against the blue. You tell them you nearly wore something else, then find yourself explaining what you had intended to do with the afternoon. They laugh at the amount of preparation involved.

When you leave, you both look up. Nothing is there. Your friend asks whether you are sure. You say you were, earlier. For a while the two of you stand in the street giving the sky a chance to remember what it was doing.

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