Nadia walks to the local park on a sunny afternoon. There are many people there today. Someone is having a party in the park. There are balloons and music near the big tree. Nadia does not know anyone at the party. She feels a little nervous. She stands near the edge of the crowd. She looks at the food on the table. There are cookies and fruit and cold drinks. A woman smiles at Nadia from across the table. The woman has short brown hair and a yellow bag. Nadia smiles back at her. The woman walks over to Nadia. She says, "Hi! My name is Leila. Are you a friend of Marco's?"

Nadia shakes her head and laughs a little. She says, "No, I just heard the music and walked over. I hope that's okay!" Leila laughs too. She says, "Of course it is! Come and join us." Leila gives Nadia a cold drink. They stand together near the table. Leila asks Nadia where she lives. Nadia says she lives in an apartment close to the park. Leila says she lives on the other side of the park. They talk about the park for a few minutes. Leila says she comes to the park every weekend. Nadia says she likes to walk there in the morning. Leila points to a bench near the fountain. She says, "That is my favorite bench. I sit there and read sometimes." Nadia says, "I love that bench too!" They both laugh. Leila introduces Nadia to some other people at the party.

Nadia meets a man named Ben. Ben is very friendly. He asks Nadia what she does for work. Nadia says she works at a small store near the park. Ben says he works in an office not far away. They all talk and eat together. The music plays and the afternoon passes quickly. When it is time to go, Leila says to Nadia, "It was so nice to meet you!" Nadia agrees. She says, "I'm really glad I heard the music today." Leila takes out her cell phone. She asks for Nadia's number. Nadia gives it to her happily. They say goodbye and Nadia walks home. She feels happy. She did not expect to make a new friend today. But now she has one.

Nadia had not planned to stop at the park that afternoon, but the sound of music drifting through the trees made her curious. A party was taking place near the old fountain, with colorful balloons tied to the benches and a folding table loaded with food. She hesitated at the edge of the gathering, feeling out of place among the laughing groups of people she did not recognize. Just as she was considering turning back, a woman with short brown hair and a bright yellow bag caught her eye and smiled warmly. The woman walked over without hesitation and said, "Hi! I'm Leila. Are you a friend of Marco's?" Nadia laughed softly and admitted she had simply followed the music. Far from being unwelcoming, Leila looked delighted.

She handed Nadia a cold drink and said, "Well, you have great taste. Come and join us!" As the afternoon wore on, Nadia found herself relaxing in a way she had not expected. Leila was easy to talk to, and the two of them discovered they had more in common than they first realized. Both of them lived near the park, both preferred mornings over evenings, and both had a particular fondness for the wooden bench beside the fountain. "That bench is my favorite spot in the whole park," Leila said, and Nadia laughed because she felt exactly the same way. Leila then introduced her to Ben, a warm and talkative man who worked in an office nearby. He asked Nadia about her work, and she told him about the small store she managed close to the park entrance.

The three of them talked easily, and Nadia was surprised by how natural it all felt. By the time the party began to wind down, Nadia felt as though she had known Leila for much longer than a single afternoon. The music faded, the balloon strings drooped in the cooling air, and people started drifting toward the park exit. Leila turned to Nadia and said, "It was genuinely lovely to meet you. I'm so glad you followed that music." Nadia agreed completely, realizing that the small, unplanned decision to stop had turned into something she would remember. Leila took out her cell phone and asked for Nadia's number, and Nadia gave it to her without a moment's hesitation. Walking home through the park, she passed the old fountain and glanced at their bench. She smiled to herself, already looking forward to the next time.