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| A Walk in the Park | ||||||||||
| We had taken a walk to the park right near my house because he said he wanted to talk. The walk must have taken an eternity. It felt like we were walking forever. Upon reaching the park, we picked a quiet little area under the tree and sat in the bench. His face looked so depressed. This guy who sits in front of me was usually perky and outgoing. Every time I turned to look at him, he had a big smile on his face like that of a child. A smile that stretched from one ear to the other. But as I look at him now, I realized that the smile was gone -- and a frown had taken its place. I know how much his problems are weighing him down. I know how much misery they are bringing him, but all I could do was give him a little pat in the shoulder and tell him that after a while everything will be okay. All I could do was be a friend and listen to him babble on and on about how miserable his life is -- how much he had wanted to end it. Naturally, the only sensible thing for me to do was talk him out of it. | ||||||||||
| We must have talked for hours about everything and anything. Somehow, I guess it made him feel better to get all of that out his chest. And when we had nothing more to say we idly sat there. No words spoken. No sounds made. It was as if we were just two strangers sitting and minding our own business. It was a lovely day. The sky was bright blue and up in the tree the birds were cheerfully singing their melodious hymns. So we sat there, just the two of us. When we got tired of sitting, we headed straight for the playground. We went down the slide and rode the merry-go-round. We ran around the entire playground like a couple of five-year-olds. When we got tired, we sat on the swings to catch our breaths and take a break for a while. Then all of a sudden, something happened that broke the boundaries of our friendship. | ||||||||||
| As the chains of the swings creaked as we moved back and forth, I felt his hand reached for mine. At the moment our skin touched, I knew nothing was going to ever be the same. He held my hand in his and the sounds that the chains made gradually came to a halt. I was in disbelief of what was happening but at the same time I had this tingle in my body that sent shivers up and down my spine. I didn't know what to do. Was I supposed to say something? Or was I supposed to just enjoy this moment? In the years, that we've known each other, this came as a total surprise. I had no idea of any action I was supposed to take so I looked down to the grass and drew little imaginary circles with my feet. As much as possible, I didn't want to look up because I was afraid of what might happen next if I did. He took his other hand and put it in my chin and slowly raised my head. That was the first time we ever really saw each other. The first time when our glances really met. The first time when our eyes were set on each other. I tried to speak but no thought came to my mind. I wanted to say something but I didnt know what. What is one supposed to say during moments like these? | ||||||||||
| I didn't know what to do or say. I asked myself, " Why is he doing this ?" Maybe he is just feeling totally vulnerable that he just wants consolation. After all, touch is a good way of consoling someone. I had wanted this to happen a long time ago, but now that it is, I don't feel like I deserve any of it. As these ran through my head, I looked into his eyes and slowly pulled my hand out of his. My eyes never left his but I guess somehow he knew what I was thinking. No words said. No sounds made. There was just this barrier of silence between us. We spent another minute to grasp the incident and then I got up and started walking away. He let me go. A few yards from the swings, I looked back -- and there he was looking down in the grass, drawing imaginary circles with his feet. I turned the other way because I knew that after what just happened nothing was ever going the be the way they were. | ||||||||||
| GO BACK OR GO HOME | ||||||||||