Beneath the Autumn Sky

I saw him at the park today, pushing a little girl on the swing. It had been such a long time since we had seen each other I almost couldn’t believe it. His rich but familiar laugh, although deeper, carried across the air, and for a moment, I was twelve again, sitting next to him on his parents’ porch, promising we’d be best friends forever. He looked older now, of course, with lines around his eyes, and a small bit of gray in his hair, but the creases around his smile… It was still him.

I thought about saying something, about calling his name, but my voice caught in my throat. Then, as if he could feel my stare, he turned. Our eyes met, and I saw a flicker of recognition, I smiled at him and nearly waved, but it only lasted a second. He looked right through me before turning and smiling back at his little girl as she called for him.

I stayed a little while longer, watching them laugh and play, before walking home alone. The silence of my apartment swallowed me as I stepped inside, and I realized I’d forgotten how long it had been since someone said my name.