The woman went by me like a breeze, and I hardly had the chance to see her in earnest before she left everything behind again. It was a sunny day, and many people were out at my neighborhood, where a hill was at. It was not small, but not too big either, so many elderly people took their time walking to the top and taking out some food and drinks, simply mingling. But not her; she kept running, water bottle in hand, and a set of black earphones connected to her phone. At first, that was all I saw, and I forgot about her, only looking at the elders that were gathered there.
But then a little later, I saw her again, running at the same pace as before. This second time around, she was like a gale, rushing past me, only focused on running another lap. She had a determined look on her face, and was wiping away her long black bangs away with her wrist. She looked to be around the mid 20s to early 30s, and had relatively dark skin, perhaps because of her constant outdoor activities, if her lean muscles were anything to go by. Her water bottle was still full. I did not take much notice of her this time either, sparing only a glance before she passed by again.
And then I met her a third time, a fourth, and then again. She was like a hurricane now, desperately trying to go further, faster. The white shirt was flailing in the wind she made, and the white stripes down her black shorts were gleaming in the sun. The earphones were nowhere to be seen, and by the fifth lap, all her water was gone. She definitely had my attention now, even though it was just a short meeting every time she passed by.
And finally, at her sixth lap, she stopped running and slowed down to refill her bottle by the water fountain next to me; she was like a calm breeze again. I could smell the slight tang of sweat when she came close to where I was, and saw how her eyes lit up when she drank from the cool water of the fountain. I had never heard her speak, but her silence gave me a far stronger impression than the elders behind me. As she stepped away, our eyes met, and I gave her a small grin, which she returned back to me before walking away, gone with the wind, once more.
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