The Call

The man approached the woman as she was sitting there on the bench, surrounded by orange-tipped trees and looking out over the still, brown-blue water of the lake. She stood to greet him as one would greet an old friend, embracing him tightly and reveling in his every word. Together they strolled the paths in the forest, marveling at the colors and sounds. They circled back to the bench she had left and she sat again, expecting him to sit with her. Instead, he stood before her on an overgrown trail, his hand outstretched in a humble request for her to join him. She looked from him to the path, and then looked to the bag she had left on the bench beside her, the collection of her only possessions. The woman fingered the bag, counting the items in her mind. She hesitantly pulled the strap over her shoulder and lifted her gaze back to him. Sighing, he shook his head slowly and turned to head up the path, alone.

The next day, the man returned to find the woman there, on the same bench, as he had expected. They shared in their familiar dance amidst the trees as he pointed out details of the wood to her. When they returned to her bench, the woman knew he would wish to take her down the narrow path. Contentedly, she pointed out to him that she had not brought her bag along, knowing he would want her to walk the path without it. The woman began to follow him, but stopped suddenly to return to the bench, as if she had forgotten something. She bent down to pick up her gold watch that had fallen amidst the leaves. Putting it on her wrist, she turned back to join him, a hopeful smile on her lips. His face, however, was crestfallen. He silently shook his head and went off down the path without her.

When the man approached the woman the next day, he found her locked in an embrace with another. Seeing him, she stood up with her stranger and begged the man to let them both follow him down the path. The woman vowed she would help her stranger find his way until he could navigate the path on his own. The man looked from the woman to the stranger, love evident in his eyes. His gaze met hers again as he shook his head. This time, before leaving her to travel that unfamiliar path, he bent close and whispered in her ear…

I’ll be back again tomorrow.