the crying bench.

it was a secret rendevous of sorts. quite romantic in thought, actually. it was midnight, 75 degrees outside, with a nice breeze blowing through mt. prospect. we decided to meet then because we needed to finish a conversation that was had earlier in the day on my lunch break at work, and it was the only time that both of us were available.

once he got home, he walked over to the park where i was waiting. we greeted in an embrace, asked about each other's nights, etc. he was so tired he was slurring his words a little bit like he was slightly intoxicated. which i thought was quite funny because i do the exact same thing. hand in hand we walked over to our bench. we sat down for awhile and talked about little but important things, like what we had for lunch and whether or not he was going to shave the next day.

i don't even remember how we transitioned to talking about his family again. but we did. and he told me how the past two weeks since i returned from texas have been really tense for him at home, that he's now having to live with the reality of what he thought wouldn't be such a big deal. it's not as easy as he thought it would be.

and so he repositioned himself on the bench and laid his head in my lap. and for a good 20 minutes he cried. i noticed first when he leaned up to kiss my forehead, as his face left mine there was a trace of wet on my cheek. and then there were more. and really, it was beautiful, how vulnerable he was willing to be with me. it was raw emotion. i cradled his face in my hands, and we prayed. and it was the crying bench.

then he walked me to my car, and we both went home. and no one knew but he and i. well, helen too.