We all sit alone. The buzz of amiable chatter and profound sighs. The dentist’s office. The walls are a bare and frosted color. I have been here endless times before . An older fellow perches inaudibly next to me. I can see he is reading Moby Dick, a classic. Too shy to make casual conversation, I reach for a newspaper. The headline talks of the city’s recent project, a new bypass. I hear a child cry. Soon the mother rushes to stop the blonde boy’s tears. It’s a very peaceful environment. We all have secrets, stories, memories, that are private… unknown. The bliss of a clean slate among a stranger’s presence. A cheery older woman calls for their appointments and medical updates. I look around again, taking in the faces I'll never see again. I see young and mature, male and female, bitter and perky.

I look at my shoes. My dark, dirty, and dusty converse. I’ve walked a mile and more in these shoes. The lady across the room from me wears deep brown penny loafers. I imagine she is an accountant or works in an office. I look closer. She has charcoal colored glasses with a skinny frame holding them to her head. I imagine her as a young girl; no glasses with the most illuminated blue eyes you’ve ever seen.

The office is playing serene soft jazz. The clock’s pulse so slowly beats, tick tick tick. I feel as I have been here for an eternity. I remain in my seat, patient but growing annoyed. As I sit I think of the humor and sadness of the fact that time never goes the speed you want. Your happiest moments go by in the quickest flash, and the painful moments drag along for…………...ever……. and…….. ever.

Who are the people behind these blank faces? I ache to know.