Story by Anonymous

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​The longest I've ever waited is twenty-six hours.

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I don't want to talk about why, or for whom, or how I could be so stupid. I don't. I just want to complain about the wait.

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The first six hours weren't so bad, all things considered. I walked around—not too far!—and sort of got to know the space. There wasn't much to see, but when you're just killing time, even a lame portrait can be cool.

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The next ten hours are when the body starts to hurt. Sitting too much hurts the hips, the calves, the legs. But also, the wait is its own kind of exhausting, and so you don't want to be standing the whole time, or walking around. Even when you do walk around or try some stretches, how long can you keep it up? Imagine walking for an hour. Now imagine trying to stay in the same area so you're not too far away when she finally arrives. Impossible.

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The next ten hours is less about the body and more about the spirit. It's gone. You're tired in a way that is worse than just lack of sleep, although that's there too. Your mind gets weak. When you're expecting a person to walk around the corner, any movement—wind, leaf, mote of dust—is like a gun shot. Your brain is hyper-active, in full sprint. Before, the only thing that keeps you from crashing out is the hope. But that's gone. You're here waiting out of stubbornness, to prove you did it. You stay awake now because to lay down on the carpet would be the same as leaving, the same as giving up. Sleep is not waiting, waiting is waiting, and you are waiting for as long as it takes because a promise is a promise, and she's the most important person you've ever known.

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On the twenty-sixth hour of waiting, you're moved by force. I don't know who, it's different for everyone. Someone will remove you. If you're lucky, it'll be her. She'll have chosen you, and you'll realize you just got the day wrong and you'll both laugh and run away together. More likely, it'll be security.

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In any case, waiting is awful. It's stupid. Twenty-six minutes is the maximum you should wait. Actually, no. Don't even waste that much time. I wouldn't wait longer than twenty-six seconds.

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