Portrait of a Woman

She was fair, with a milk white marble complexion and dark hair framed her face. Her almond shaped eyes were small, but dark and piercing and she had the most intense stare he remembered encountering in a long time. There was no joy in her expression. It was like something carved in stone; immobile, cold and staring. He felt unease immediately around her. There was no commonality, no warmth. Just a sort of disconnect which most people would automatically shy away from even without understanding why. She was not so much remarkable as she was out of place so he looked away and concentrated on other more interesting matters while she faded into the background. He saw her other times that night, flitting through the room, one moment here, another there. And it always struck him as odd, seeing her slouching there talking to someone. She didn't seem the type to smile or to laugh and yet she did all those things. It felt incongruous to a fault. And once again he turned away and put her out of his mind. He would much rather focus on the pretty girl making waves and dazzling in the centre of the room; with her chandelier laugh and her bright animation. Now that was a woman he could be interested in. So full of life, so full of energy; not stiff and carved in stone. No, she would be relegated to the darkest corners of his mind and soon forgotten just like the rest of the inconsequential things he encountered. Tonight was a night for fun and merry-making and that warm blooded woman with the smile, he thought as he made his way over to her and further and further away from the other woman. 

She was awkward and fumblingly clumsy in her social skills. Such a loud laugh, and such boisterousness, he remarked as he watched her laugh at a joke. Her eyes crinkled into tiny slits as she guffawed and hollered in entertainment. It was not that she was inept in any way, but he found her clumsy attempts uncomfortable and as such he would much rather mingle with those whom he could speak more freely. There was just something remarkable strange although subtle about her comments and the timing with which she makes them. Like a hit and miss although mainly missing. She sat still in a silence sometimes like she had absolutely no interest in the conversation but then when she chipped in, there was a jarring miss every time. He felt slightly sorry for her if he thought about it too much. But as for itself, it was inconsequential and he did not think about it too much. He did not think about it very much at all. It was much easier to lose himself in the sparkling conversation going on than to wonder too much about the odd girl who seemed somewhat out of place. Leave it to someone else. Someone else would talk to her he was sure. But it need not be him. There were much more interesting things to do. 

She was kind, and she was helpful, he thought absently as she returned with what he needed and deftly tended to his condition. He sipped the hot cocoa slowly, minding the heat while somewhere in his peripheral vision he saw her moving beside him, not sure what she was doing. Already her kindness was slipping from his mind. Of course it would go without saying would it not. He was grateful. She asked him how he was feeling. Good he said, and his mind continued to wander; caught up in other things, things he would not remember if asked about; just drifting. Beside him he vaguely felt her press a cushion onto his lap while she tried to make him comfortable. She had always been nice and she had always been kind. She was always helpful when she could be and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that. And if someone were to ask he would definitely say so. But since no one is asking, really it's of no consequence isn't it. His thoughts were already quickly drifting towards other things, his mind on other people; what they did, what antics they got up to and he chuckled inwardly. They were such fun people, such funny people. They were an absolute joy to be around. Of course it didn't matter that they weren't here now, it was hardly the place and time to expect them to be, he casually thought as he accepted the biscuits she lay before him. And of course her too, she was nice, he contemplated vaguely before drifting off again into thoughts of their delightful company and the delightful things they could get up to the next time around. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her kindness, no. It's just that there's nothing much to think about her kindness is there as his mind wandered to the girl he met the other day. She had helped him pick up a book. How so very kind of her.