He saw her having lunch at a cafe with her friends or walking down the street with shopping bags.
Today was Saturday, Shania’s day off.
On days like this, she usually either went to visit her mother and sister in Harlem or spent time at home or in Riverside Park, a few blocks from her apartment.
Malik headed for the park.
It was a sunny day and he was sure Shania wouldn’t stay home.
He was right.
He spotted her sitting on a bench with a book in her hands.
She was wearing a light spring dress, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail.
Malik took up a position at a distance on another bench, partially hidden by bushes.
He took a worn copy of Walt Whitman’s poetry out of his pocket, another habit he had kept since they had been together.
Time passed and Malik became more and more absorbed in the book, occasionally glancing in Shania’s direction.
