The breeze, blowing through the trees, feels so very pleasant. The sun is trying to peak out from behind the clouds, maybe it won't rain. Stopping at The Springs park waiting for this reunion with John, my heart is thumping wildly with anticipation. I haven't spoken to him in years, his phone call Tuesday suggesting we meet took me by surprise. Walking down by the fountain and little gazebo...I notice a few changes in the park. Now a little building stood at the very end of the park where the trail winds upward around the hillside.
While waiting for John to arrive, I walk down by the spring and across the little footbridge. Continuing on, I walk to where connecting white columns form a semi circle creating a large trellis for many vines and flowers to wind around. Looking up I see a blonde man walking toward me, as his form is approaching I see he is wearing sun glasses. Slowly the man removes his glasses and smiles a broad smile. His wonderful blue eyes danced happily as he says "Jen, so nice to see you again."
For a moment there was uncertainty, then we laugh and embrace. As he is still holding me, loosely now, he runs his hand across my hair, in a (long ago) familiar fashion, "you've cut your hair, I like it."
"Thanks, I see you must wear contacts too now," I say. "No, I had eye surgery, it is great."
"So, it has been such a long time," he said. I nodded my agreement...and we started walking, as we had so many times in this park. "I was just thinking how many years ago it has been since we walked together in this park, what 17 years now?" he was saying.
"Yes, that is right, seems like only yesterday," I said, "so many things have happened to us since then."
"Both of us have had our share of loves and losses...have kids from our previous marriages," I say smiling. He could only smile back as that summed up what had happened to us...John with a few failed marriages, me with one...John with a few kids, me with one. Time does a lot to a person...some good some bad, but John looked great. He didn't look the 34 years he is now. "I thought about you last month...my birthday, then yours, you turning 35 this year, I always did like older women," his stated, smile broadening.
"Ah, remember though for those two days prior to my birthday, we are the same age," I was saying, "every year, you come to mind on our birthdays."
Just then some lightning cracked in the distance. "Sounds like it is going to rain on us," John said, "that is how we parted, all those years ago, rain pounding down." John and I had been childhood sweethearts, everyone had thought we would marry, and at 17 and 18, we really were making a big decision. That day he was referring to so many years ago, we had been talking about the future as we had so many times before. Where we would live, how many kids we would have...all of that...then we both realized neither of us were ready for that large of a commitment. In the end, we promised to keep in touch and parted way...with the rain starting to come down now, it made me think of standing and watching him drive away in the rain that day, very long ago.
"That was so long ago," John was saying, watching the emotions crossing my face. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me toward that building I had seen at the end of the park..."we are going to get drenched if we don't get out of the rain," he offered. So we ran to the little building...the door was not locked...so we slip inside. This was the only place to escape the rain...as we glanced out...we could see water pouring through the little gazebo...the boards not meeting all across the top of it...not a solid roof.
Inside this little building with John, it seemed so small...it looked bigger from the outside. "Not a large building," John was saying as if reading my mind, "but it will have to do."
"Looks like you got soaked anyway," he was noticing. Looking down I remembered that the outfit I had on was an off white short/jumper and you could clearly see I was either cold or excited (maybe a little of both). John hadn't missed what it did to my shape either, "wow, you look great," he was staring/stating. With the outfit being wet, it now clung to ever part of my body (or at least the parts he was checking out),"you have such a great shape, no longer that thin girl I once knew," he was saying.