Man Like Me

Penelope yawned as she sat on a bench while waiting for the train. It was Monday morning and she hadn’t rested as much as she needed because she had been watching TV until late last night. She was reading a new book by an author a friend had recommended: Tony Stark. Nobody knew this man’s true identity, he was very private and he just wanted to be known for his books. Penelope found that extremely interesting and a plus to the author. He never went to book signings, nobody knew his real age or name or even what he looked like. Rumors said that he sent his scripts by mail and that he didn’t authorize any changes. No one had a clue if his stories were based on true experiences but they were heart-felt romances with twists, dramas but also metaphors and reflections. He had written about 5 books in the last 3 years and Penelope was reading the first one “Flourishing”.

Today Robert had a kind of a business meeting so he was wearing a suit to feel more confident and also because it would make him look good. He spotted Penelope easily and he filled his chest with air, convincing himself that he would say hello to her. He kept walking confidently and sat beside her, he cleared his throat and greeted “Good morning.”

Penelope glanced at him and smiled instantly “Hello there, good morning.”

Robert smiling but became instantly nervous because he was stuck. He didn’t mean to bore her or take her time from her reading but she surprised him by continuing to make conversation.

“Had a nice weekend?” Penelope asked, trying to maintain a conversation. She was going against her shyness while her brain yelled at her to shut up and stop bothering that innocent man.

“Yes, I did actually. I enjoyed this sunny weather and went to the beach. What about you?” Robert asked. He didn’t know from where this comfortable feeling was coming but he was going to enjoy it.

Penelope starting breathing normally, he was as eager to talk as she was “I didn’t do much actually.” She chuckled “I watched some House episodes.” She said closing her book.

Robert glanced at her lap and became pale. “A-are you reading that?” He asked his mouth twitching a bit as he felt that his back was beginning to sweat.

“Yes, I started yesterday and I’m completely hooked. Do you know it?” Penelope asked.

“Yes... uhm I mean NO!” Robert said jumbled as his breathing got heavier and quicker while Penelope raised her eyebrows slightly “Is it for school?” Robert said, attempting to have a normal conversation.

“Actually, no. It’s for personal interest, so to speak.” Penelope said feeling uneasy, he was uncomfortable and acting strangely and she had no clue why.

Robert knew he had screwed up and as soon as he spotted the train, he stood up. “Well the train is arriving. Have a nice day.” He said clumsily as he left without giving Penelope the chance to reply.



Penelope didn’t open the book for the whole train ride. She was curious, she wanted to question the mysterious man but she didn’t want to be nosy or considered impolite. She sighed as she placed her bag on the floor and sat back comfortably, falling into a light sleep.
Robert wasn’t sitting in the same carriage as Penelope. He had taken his suit jacket and rolled his white shirt’s sleeves up. He was disturbed and he felt horrible for the way he had reacted. He had seen the shock in Penelope’s eyes and he knew he had ruined his chances. “I can’t go back to that.” He thought with his eyes closed as he sighed and stared out the window with sadness

The train arrived at the capital and as Robert got out of the train, he saw Penelope walking in his direction. Once she saw him, she avoided his gaze and started walking faster towards the subway, Robert sighed loudly as he went to his meeting.

“Lope? Lope, are you even here?” Penelope blinked as her friend, Cat, smiled at her “Are you okay?” She asked grinning.

“I’m fine.” Penelope replied “Just a bit tired.”

“How can you be tired on a Monday? It’s going to be a hard week for you then.” Cat laughed.

Penelope smiled but she was absent, her mind was a billion miles away. Cat normally didn’t notice, though. Cat was the first friend Penelope made when she came to the faculty 4 years ago, they were both in their first years when they met and they became close friends immediately. They had a lot of similar interested, especially in books and movies and they also shared the same passion for writing but in different styles. Cat preferred poetry and short stories while Penelope loved fan-fictions and all genres of novels.

“What’s your next class?” Cat asked in her normal hyper temper and voice.

“English.” Penelope grinned. She loved English especially because it was mostly centered on Creative Writing. “And you?”

“Italian.” Cat smiled widely as Penelope laughed at her enthusiasm and they parted.

As she walked alone to the other side of the faculty, Penelope passed by some couples and she wondered what was wrong with her. She had been single for about four years now and she didn’t complain but she questioned why not even one single guy seemed to be interested in her. Deep down, it hurt her, her self-esteem could get very low sometimes but then she shook it all off with a good movie or song.

English class passed by quickly and then she headed to English Literature where she met a couple of friends and in no time she found herself seating on a bench while waiting for the train to come back home.



Robert had taken his tie and was carrying his jacket on his hands. The meeting had ended several weeks ago but he spent the rest of the sunny day on a park. There he was able to calm down and he had decided that he had to apologize to Penelope, one way or another.

He was aware that he looked messy. His hair was everywhere, his posture was completely gone and he almost turned bewildered when he spotted Penelope sitting by herself on a bench. He stormed towards her but then he forced himself to stop and act normally. He didn’t want to scare her anymore. He noticed that she wasn’t reading or listening to music, she was simply writing something on her notebook.

Robert took a deep breath and sat beside her. “Hi.” He spoke glancing at her and she didn’t answer. “I-I’m sorry.” He blurted awkwardly.

“There’s no need for apologies.” Penelope cut him off and Robert straightened, staring at her.

They sat there in silence for minutes until Penelope closed her notebook “I’m Penelope.” She said with half a smile. Robert felt that she was uneasy around him but he was going to change that.

“I’m Robert.” He smiled nicely. Their eyes locked and both of them seemed to be holding their breaths.

“I thought it would be better for us to introduce properly.” Penelope stated and Robert nodded.

“What were you scribbling?” Robert asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

“Oh… you really want to know?” Penelope blushed slightly, looking away from him.

“Only if you want to tell me.” Robert kept smiling. It was like the smile was glued to his features, he couldn’t help himself. He was happy.

“Well… it’s a draft for an English oral presentation, I chose to talk about ‘Edward Scissorhands’, do you know that movie?” Penelope asked with a sparkle in her eyes as she showed him her notes.

“Very interesting choice.” Robert said with a wide smile as he placed a finger on his chin in a thoughtful way. “Why did you choose it?” He asked as he analyzed what she had written and she noticed that her handwriting was very thoughtful and carefully done.

They continued talking and sat together on the train. For Penelope, Robert revealed to be a surprise. They had really similar tastes and he even gave her suggestions of bands and movies she should see. On the other hand, Robert was in heaven. He could just seat and listen to Penelope’s voice, which was enough to make him a happy man.

When they had to part, none of them knew exactly what to do so they stood there awkwardly for a couple of minutes, both with a slight blush.

“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” Penelope asked blushing a deeper shade of red.

“Definitely.” Robert smiled brightly, as he tried to control his breathing. His heart was beating so fast that he thought he was going to pass out with so much excitement.

“Okay, then see you tomorrow.” Penelope waved smiling as she left reluctantly and Robert stood in the same place, contemplating her.

‘What did I get myself into?’ He thought as he sighed. Nevertheless he couldn’t help but grin widely, he was happy and his heart was beating fast, which hadn’t happened for a long time.

“I’m home!” Penelope announced, still wearing a smile on her face. She stepped into her room, left her bag there and then looked for her mother.

Penelope was an only child and her father had died when she was around 7, but she didn’t have many memories of her early years. Then her mother and her moved and, even though, her mom tried, all her new relationships failed. When Penelope was younger, she hated her mother for trying to find another man but now she realized that her mom was just lonely. Their visions of her father were so different. To her mom, he meant suffering and in the present sometimes hate, they never spoke about him. But to Penelope, her father was a role-model. The best memory she had of him was when he showed her how to play guitar, they did it every day and he was always showing her bands and taking her secretly to small gigs. Her mom hated when he did it, but they didn’t care it was their special moment. Unfortunately, when her father died he asked for his guitar to be burned and added to his ashes and because of that, Penelope had nothing material that had belong to her father because her mom had gotten rid of everything else, except for a necklace Penelope had still hidden in the back of her closet.

“Mom?” She called stepping into the kitchen but no response. She found a note from her mother letting her know that she had to work until late but that she had left her dinner in the microwave.

‘Yay, another night alone…” Penelope thought sadly as she didn’t bother about having dinner. She just went straight to bed and remembered every detail of her conversation with Robert, she had great expectations for their conversations. She felt that he might be her saving-boat, she had a feeling that he would always give her good advice but what she needed was someone who would listen to her. Maybe, Robert was that person.