His Favorite Place

As I do every Thursday morning; I went to the local library to return my books and look for more. As I went into the non-fiction section, I saw an elderly man standing by the window; not moving or looking around but he seemed as though he was waiting on something.

The window he was staring out of had the most perfect view of the public park, a pond facing the library and paved walking trails with benches on each side.

The elderly man watched as the breeze caused ripples in the water, the leaves moving on the ground and heard the children laughing as they played.

He looked out that window with such a deep expression… it wasn’t hard to see that he may have been physically in that library but mentally, he had gone back to what once was but could no longer be.

You could see his eyes water as he saw couples hand in hand; making him think of her and the beginning of their forever.

The way she would run to him as though she hadn’t seen him in years.

How she would hug him with such aggressiveness to be so small. Her eyes sparkling at him speaking of so much love that hadn’t been stated yet.

The first tear fell down his face as he remembered the bench they would sit at right by the pond, how they would watch the turtles surface one by one.

The way her presence felt, her head on his shoulder, their thumbs circling the other and the random question she would ask just to hear him speak of something he felt. Oh, she was a fierce little thing but boy was she sweet on him.. He remembered how she wrinkled her nose when she spoke to him, the way she grinned when she’d look in his eyes, the feeling of her lips against his… He was back in time with her.

Wanting to stay in that moment forever; he remembered the way she would sigh in relief of the week she had. How he would always wonder if something was wrong; how she already knew his thoughts and would whisper to him how she was alright and lightly kiss his lips.

The way she would act when he put his lips against hers; how she couldn’t contain the bodily excitement that would fall over her and would always end up straddling his lap. He missed her presence of happiness, the way she made him feel more loved and wanted than he had ever felt…

He remembered the way her long hair blew in the wind, her cute grin and the way she would dance as though it was only her and him.

To go back in time would be just a dream. And I watched this elderly man drop tear after tear wanting to go back to that time he was in… back when he was beginning his life with the one who would make all the moments matter; where at the end of his life he would smile because of all their laughter.

Water stretching down his face; he remembered her. He remembered himself. The way time stopped when he was with her; how he would do anything to remind himself to stay with her, hold her longer and speak more. Love her like it’s your last time being able to.

He thought of himself and what he would do just to cherish another minute or two with the woman who loved him like he had hung the moon.

His eyes smiled with such sadness as he remembered the woman who would laugh and grin, take his heart and then was gone like the wind.

The elderly man wiped away his tears, turned and shook his head as he saw me standing there… a small smile overcame his face and no words were said as we both knew that he had left and went back to his favorite place.