Seven

Robert's hair is white and his skin is very tan. Almost the color of leather. He wears colorful oxford tee-shirts, like pink and baby blue. They make his hair look even lighter and skin darker. He walks in the morning and midday everyday. He turns around after the 3rd post at the driveway down to Little Corona beach. The posts are there to prevent visitor access by car. One day when she is walking with him she turns around at the first post. He carries on to the third and she slows down so he can catch up.

He walks on the sidewalk all of the way down to the other end of Ocean Boulevard. There is an entrance to a parking garage for a condo tower and a dead end. Not the most breathtaking section of the neighborhood, but the homes on the other side have beautiful views of the bay, peninsula, and the ocean. He turns around here and heads back the way he came. She has never seen what street he enters from and wonders what his exact route is and where he lives. He may even drive and park but she thinks this is not the case. His routine is too regular and frequent. She believes he lives nearby. This is encouraging because he is a sweet man. When he ends his walk at bench by her first set of stairs, he is always saying hi to the other neighbors. On his walks he rarely stops to talk. He keeps his pace and waves hello.

Robert is married and his wife does not walk with him. She knows she travels with him though because when he talks to her about restaurant recommendations in Las Vegas, he always mentions that he and his wife like to order appetizers and split an entree, if they are still hungry. He tells her they eat very small meals and like pinot noir. She remembers this and keeps a few places at the tip of her brain in case Robert asks. She is happy when she can make other people feel like she is thinking of them.

Robert talks like her great aunt, Teresa. She does not interpret this as an accent, but more like aristocratic, English-royalty inspired speech. When they say words like "what" they tighten their cheeks and gently blow the "wha" sound through. Almost all she can hear is the "t". She is unsure if they have always talked like this or if it is an old person's accent. Similar to the way a high school cheerleader may adjust her speech to sound like her peers. She practices her old person "wh" sound with "who, what, where, when, why" to prepare herself for a seemless transition.