I AM SO GLAD I GOT TO KNOW YOU

RACHMIEL

Rachmiel had moved away from home the moment this new opportunity in a different city presented itself. The job was too good to refuse. At first, he made every effort to stay connected.He called his parents almost every day. He visited whenever he could. Every three weeks, without fail, he would make the journey home to spend a weekend with them. Being an only child made the distance feel heavier.

His parents never complained. At least not directly. Still, he noticed the disappointment in his mother’s eyes whenever a visit became a phone call ,or  when a phone call became a text message. As the years passed, work demanded more of him.The visits became less frequent.

Birthdays were missed. Family gatherings came and went. Friends from school slowly became names he saw online rather than people he saw in person. His world became smaller without him noticing not because he lacked people who cared about him but because ambition occupied every empty space in his life.

The last time he had visited home, his father had asked when he would be back. Rachmiel didn’t have an answer. There was a certification to finish. A course to complete. Another step to climb. His parents understood. They always did. That understanding somehow made him feel worse.

Relationships were no different. Rachmiel wasn’t lonely.In fact, he rarely had time to feel lonely.He simply viewed relationships as distractions.Years earlier, he had dated a woman from his previous workplace.She was kind.Patient.Supportive.Yet he remembered constantly feeling torn between spending time with her and pursuing his goals.

When the relationship ended, his career accelerated.The timing convinced him of something that may or may not have been true.That love slowed him down.From that day forward, he stopped looking for it. His purpose came first. His mission came first.Everything else could wait.

06:30

Saturday morning. Most people would have welcomed the chance to sleep in. Rachmiel was awake before the sun had fully claimed the sky. The previous night had been a long one. His manager had been out of the office, leaving a mountain of paperwork and technical issues that needed attention before the weekend. By the time Rachmiel finally locked up and headed home, the city was nearly asleep.He, however, still had enough energy to spend another hour working through his online coding course before collapsing into bed.The result was obvious.His eyes felt heavy.

His body begged for more sleep. Yet as his alarm sounded, he reached across the bedside table and switched it off without hesitation. Discipline had become second nature. Rachmiel sat up and stretched. A quick glance at his laptop reminded him that there were still lessons to complete before Monday. Most people would have found his schedule exhausting.Rachmiel found comfort in it.Work gave him purpose. Goals gave him direction, and every certification, promotion, and achievement felt like proof that his sacrifices were worth it. At least, that was what he believed.

08:30

The coffee shop was only ten minutes from Rachmiel’s apartment. Every Saturday morning, without fail, he made the same walk. The staff knew him. The manager knew him. Even some of the regular customers greeted him by name.

Over the years, the small coffee shop had become something more than a place to buy coffee. It had become his second office. A place where deadlines were met, ideas were born, and goals slowly became reality. 

As soon as he stepped through the door, the familiar smell of roasted coffee beans welcomed him.

“Morning, Mr. Rachmiel,” called one of the waitresses.

“Morning,” he replied with a smile.

The staff often joked that he should start paying rent.He spent so much time there that some people assumed he worked behind the counter.Making his way through the shop, he headed toward his usual seat beside the large front window.Curiously, it was almost always available.

Rachmiel liked to joke that the staff secretly reserved it for him. Whether that was true or not, nobody ever admitted it.

As he sat down, the waitress appeared beside him.

“The usual?”

Rachmiel laughed.

“Am I that predictable?”

“You’ve ordered the same thing for two years.”

“Fair point.”

“I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes later, she returned with his coffee. By then his laptop was already open. His notebook rested beside it. The weekend coding course he had enrolled in stared back at him from the screen. Most people spent their Saturdays resting. Rachmiel spent his building the future he imagined for himself. And judging by how far he had come, it seemed to be working.

13:00

The bell above the coffee shop door chimed. Rachmiel looked up from his laptop and smiled.

“You’re early.”

His friend pulled out a chair and sat opposite him.

“She’s always late.”

“You say that every time.”

“And every time I’m right.”

Rachmiel laughed and returned to his screen.

His friend watched him for a moment.

“You’re working again?”

“I’m studying.”

“Same thing.”

Rachmiel shrugged.

“The course won’t finish itself.”

His friend shook his head.

“Do you ever take a break?”

“I’m taking one now.”

“No, you’re sitting in a coffee shop working instead of sitting in an office working.”

Rachmiel laughed.

“There’s a difference.”

“There really isn’t.”

A waitress brought over his friend’s coffee.

After taking a sip, he leaned forward.

“You know what your problem is?”

Rachmiel sighed.

“Here we go.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

His friend pointed at him.

“You’ve built your entire life around work.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is.”

“I visit my parents.”

“Every few weeks.”

“I have friends.”

“You cancel on half of them.”

Rachmiel opened his mouth to respond before stopping.

His friend smiled.

“Exactly.”

For a moment they sat quietly.

Then his friend spoke again.

“When was the last time you went on a date?”

Rachmiel groaned.

“We’re doing this again?”

“When was it?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s concerning.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“You’ve been hiding.”

Rachmiel looked up from his laptop.

“Hiding from what?”

His friend smiled.

“Life.”

Rachmiel rolled his eyes.

“You’re dramatic.”

“No.”

His friend took another sip of coffee.

“I just don’t want you waking up ten years from now with promotions, certificates, and money… and nobody to share any of it with.”

For the first time, Rachmiel didn’t have an answer. The silence lasted only a few seconds before his friend grinned.

“Anyway.”

“There it is.”

“What?”

“The lecture.”

“You needed it.”

Rachmiel laughed and shook his head.

14:30

A few minutes later, the bell above the coffee shop door chimed.

A young woman stepped inside. Rachmiel immediately noticed the grin spreading across his friend’s face.

“That’s her.”

His friend quickly gathered his things.

Rachmiel shook his head.

“You’re actually doing this?”

“What?”

“Leaving me.”

His friend laughed.

“You’ll survive.”

The woman approached the table. She was pretty. Confident. Well dressed. His friend stood to greet her and before leaving, he looked back at Rachmiel.

One final attempt.

“You know,” he said, “one day you’re going to wake up and realize work isn’t waiting for you at home.”

Rachmiel rolled his eyes.

“Here we go again.”

“I’m serious.”

“My life is fine.”

“Your life is productive.”

Rachmiel smirked.

“Same thing.”

His friend pointed at him.

“No. Not the same thing.”

The woman laughed.

“I feel like I’ve walked into an argument.”

“You have,” Rachmiel replied.

His friend shook his head.

“Listen, all I’m saying is there has to be more to life than deadlines and coding courses.”

“And I’m saying you’re dramatic.”

His friend smiled.

“Maybe.”

Then he glanced at the empty chair opposite Rachmiel.

“Or maybe one day someone will sit there and prove me right.”

Rachmiel laughed.

“Good luck finding someone willing to listen to me talk about work all day.”

His friend started walking away with his date.

Without turning around he called back:

“Trust me. She’ll find you.”

Rachmiel shook his head and opened his laptop again. The chair opposite him remained empty.

17:00

As Rachmiel lifted his head from his laptop and stared absentmindedly through the coffee shop window, he noticed a young woman walking toward the building. At first, she was simply another face among many. Then she took another step and somehow became the only thing he could see.

His eyes followed her instinctively. She had long brown dreadlocks gathered behind her by a red scrunchie. The sight struck him unexpectedly. She wore her hair the same way his mother had worn hers when he was growing up. 

For reasons he could not explain, that small detail felt strangely comforting. Familiar. Like a memory returning home. The closer she came, the harder it became to look away.

She moved with a grace that seemed untouched by the rush of the city around her.While everyone else hurried somewhere, she seemed perfectly content simply arriving and when the evening sunlight touched her skin, Rachmiel felt his breath catch.

Her complexion held the warmth of polished bronze kissed by gold. Not the kind of beauty that demanded attention. The kind that quietly stole it. The kind that made a room seem dimmer by comparison. For a ridiculous moment, he found himself wondering whether God had spent a little more time creating her than everyone else.

The thought made him laugh at himself.Yet he couldn’t shake it. She looked less like someone walking toward a coffee shop and more like an answered prayer wandering through ordinary life. The closer she came, the more his thoughts deserted him.He felt like a sunflower finally turning toward sunlight after years of staring at concrete.

Drawn by something he didn’t understand. Something he couldn’t resist. Then she stepped through the door. The bell chimed overhead. And his heart stumbled. Not because she was beautiful. Because somehow she felt familiar. Like a song he had forgotten.Like a dream he had once had and almost remembered.Like someone he had been missing before he even knew her name.

 When her eyes finally found his, the entire world seemed to step aside for a moment and let them meet. She went straight to sit across him, Rachmiel was shocked. As soon as she sat down , her aura was that of a violet , she smelled like a fraction a beautiful flower from the garden of eden. 

Upon sitting down she says to Rachmiel in a voice so calming and sweet “ Hey, do you mind if i sit here” . Rachmiel calmly says “no, please do , be my guest”, before progressing Rachmiel says to her “You smell really nice “ and a smile illuminates from her beautiful face. Rachmiel then asks for her name and she says “ I will tell you eventually “. Shocked, Rachmiel gets on with it.

As small talk passes , Rachmiel finds himself venting to her. She had energy that made him feel at peace , safe and secure as a baby in its crib alongside its mom and dad.

 Rachmiel vents to her mostly about work and what not for some minutes. She eventually stops him and says 

“let’s play a game , I am gonna write  11 questions on a piece of paper and you do the same , let’s give each other 10minutes to figure this out “

15minutes pass and Rachmiel opens the set of questions she had for him and they are as follows

“When was the last time you sat and talked with your grandparents ”

“Do you know your grandfather’s story?”

“Who taught you your family’s traditions?”

“Do the children in your village know your name?”

“What has changed in your village since you left?”

“Can you name your great-grandfather?”

“Do you know the stories behind your family name?”

“What part of your lineage are you preserving for the next generation?”

“What traditions will survive through you?”

“What songs did your mother sing when you were young?”

“If you died tomorrow, would your village remember you as a successful man or as a son who never came home?”

His questions for her  were as follows

“Are you waiting for someone?”

“Do you come here often?”

“Are you from around here?”

“What’s your name?”

“What do you do when you’re not sitting in coffee shops talking to strangers?”

“What made you choose this table?”

“What’s something you enjoy doing on a day off?”

“Do you always smile like that when you’re avoiding a question?”

“What’s something I should know about you?”

“If I had never spoken to you today, what would I have missed out on?”

“This isn’t a question, but you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

He was to answer her questions first. As he was answering her questions he really felt a shift in his heart and mind in terms of the direction which he was taking his life. He then asked her , why do you care so much and she said in a shy tone “ Your eyes tell a story and I was curious “. Both stared in each others eyes as she said that. For a minute time stood still, a glitch in the earths orbit around the sun it was. 

Now it was her time to answer the questions. She told him that she will only answer 1,2,3,4,5 , 9 and 11 and he didn't argue with it surprisingly

1. Are you waiting for someone?

She smiled.

“In a way, yes.”

“Who?”

“You.”

2. Do you come here often?

“Not often.”

“Then what brought you here today?”

She looked at him for a moment.

“I had somewhere I needed to be.”

3. Are you from around here?

“No.”

“Where are you from?”

She laughed softly.

“It’s difficult to explain.”

4. What’s your name?

“Mekdes.”

“That’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“It suits you.”

“So I’ve been told.”

5. What do you do when you’re not sitting in coffee shops talking to strangers?

She smiled.

“I listen.”

“To what?”

“People. Their hopes. Their regrets. The things they say and the things they don’t.”

9. What’s something I should know about you?

She looked down at her cup before answering.

“I care more about people than they usually expect me to.”

“That’s all?”

“For now.”

11. This isn’t a question, but you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

For the first time that afternoon, Mekdes seemed caught off guard.

She lowered her eyes and smiled.

“That’s a very kind thing to say.”

“It’s true.”

She looked at him for a long moment.

“Then I hope one day you’ll see me as more than that.”

“Why?”

“Because beauty is the least interesting thing about a person.”

After that question which she answered , Rachmiel's alarm went ringing , signaling him to go home. They then both agreed it’s time to go home

20:30

They walked side by side through the cool evening air. The city had begun to quiet itself. The rush of the day had softened into distant traffic, scattered laughter, and the occasional passing car. For the first time since they had met, neither of them felt the need to speak.

They simply enjoyed each other’s company. When they reached the second robot, Mekdes stopped.

“I go this way,” she said, pointing down the road to her left.

Rachmiel looked down the street and then back at her.

“Already?”

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“Already.”

For a moment neither of them moved.

Rachmiel scratched the back of his neck.

“I don’t usually spend twelve hours talking to strangers.”

“Neither do I,” she replied.

“Good.”

“Why is that good?”

“Because I’d hate to find out this wasn’t special.”

Mekdes looked down and laughed softly.

“No,” she said. “This was special.”

The answer settled warmly inside him.

A silence followed.

Comfortable.

Gentle.

The kind that only arrives between two people who unexpectedly understand one another.

Rachmiel finally smiled.

“Well…May i get your contact details, I would love to do this again sometime or I guess this is goodbye.”

Mekdes tilted her head.

“I don’t think so.”

His eyebrows rose.

“You don’t?”

She shook her head.

“I think some people meet twice.”

“Is that a promise?”

“No.”

“What is it then?”

Her smile deepened.

“A hope.”

For reasons he couldn’t explain, his chest tightened.

He wanted to ask a hundred things.

Instead he simply said,

“I’m really glad I sat at that table today.”

For a brief second, something changed in her expression.

Something warm.

Something almost sad.

“So am I,” she whispered.

Then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

It was a short embrace.

Gentle.

Honest.

The kind of hug that somehow says more than words ever could.

When she pulled away, she looked at him one last time.

“Go home, Rachmiel.”

He laughed.

“I am going home.”

Mekdes smiled.

“No.”

She touched his arm.

“I mean really go home.”

Before he could ask what she meant, she turned and began walking away.

Rachmiel stood there watching until she disappeared into the evening crowd.

22:00

Rachmiel sat on the edge of his bed. The room was quiet. For the first time in years, he hadn’t opened his laptop. The course assignment could wait. The emails could wait. Everything could wait. His mind kept drifting back to her.

Her laugh. Her voice. The way she seemed completely present whenever he spoke. He smiled to himself. Then, without really knowing why, he picked up his phone and called home.

His father answered almost immediately.

“My son.”

“Dad.”

His father chuckled.

“It’s late.”

“I know.”

A pause.

“You sound different.”

Rachmiel laughed softly.

“Do I?”

“Yes.”

“What do I sound like?”

His father thought for a moment.

“Like someone who has seen something beautiful.”

The words caught him off guard.

For a few seconds he said nothing. Then he told his father everything. The coffee shop. The stranger. The conversation. The questions. The walk home. Even the strange feeling that he had known her for much longer than a single afternoon.

When he finished, silence sat between them.

His father finally spoke.

“Do you think you’ll see her again?”

Rachmiel looked out his window.

“I don’t know.”

His voice was quiet.

“I hope so.”

His father hummed thoughtfully.

Then he said,

“You know… when I was younger, your grandfather used to tell me something.”

“What?”

“That God sometimes answers prayers in ways we don’t recognize.”

Rachmiel smiled.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

His father laughed.

“Maybe nothing.”

A pause.

“Or maybe God gave you an angel for a few hours, son.”

Rachmiel shook his head and laughed.

“An angel?”

“Maybe.”

His father’s voice softened.

“Not every angel has wings.”

The room fell silent. Rachmiel stared into the darkness.

His father spoke once more.

“Whatever she was, don’t forget what she made you feel.”

After they hung up, Rachmiel remained seated for a long time.

A strange happiness filled his chest.Alongside a sadness he couldn’t explain. The kind that arrives when something beautiful ends before you’re ready for it to. As he lay down that night, one thought followed him into sleep. Not work. Not success. Not tomorrow. Only her.