The Bench - Part 2
Daniel Singh Daniel Singh stood up from the bench, picked up his briefcase and began walking towards the park gates. Behind him, the elderly woman remained seated beneath the plane tree while her dog wandered across the grass in pursuit of some new adventure. They had exchanged only a few words. He didn't know her name. She didn't know his. For a few minutes they had shared the same bench and then, as happened countless times every day in London, their lives drifted apart again. Daniel joined the flow of commuters moving towards the surrounding office buildings. Most of them walked quickly. Heads down. Coffee cups in hand. Phones already pressed to their ears. Nobody seemed particularly happy to be there. Then again, Monday mornings rarely brought out the best in people. Daniel checked his watch. 8:42. Still enough time. Yet his stomach tightened all the same. The meeting had occupied his thoughts for the entire weekend. Late on Friday afte...