Sick - 5 minute freewrite

“Hey, man, got a hanky I could borrow?” I spoke with a very raspy voice.

“Get away from me, you junkie!” The stranger yelled back at me before I could continue.

To be fair, I did look really bad. I was worn out, my voice sounded nothing like me, and my nose was red and runny.

“Hello, miss!” I tried my luck with the next stranger that came along. “Have you by chance got a handkerchief I could use? I caught this terrible cold and ran out.”

“Oh, hi! Sure!” She opened up her bag and started going through the many items stashed inside. “Why are you outside with a cold that severe, though? You really ought to be inside, you know.” Still struggling to find the pack of handkerchiefs.

“Just needed myself some fresh air. Clear my mind, you know. Speaking of which, you look absolutely stunning! May I ask you to join me over a cup of tea? We’ll sit indoors.” I chuckled.

She didn’t answer until she found them. “Sure, why not. You seem like an okay guy.” She smiled at me and handed them over.

“You know of Leslie’s? It’s just around the corner here.”

She nodded and off we went to our very first date.