15 Years From Now

15 years from now, we will both be in different stages of our lives. You'll be single career driven, I'll be a single father, very family oriented. It would've been a few weeks since I last heard your name on whatever social media is relevant, and you the same. I'll probably still live locally after convincing myself to stay here, you'll be in another state, worrying about days to come. You'll probably get a few days off from your job and come back to see family, and I'll still be here, teaching my son what he should let his dreams fade away. He wants to be a musician. After a couple days back, you go to the grocery to pick up dinner for you and your brother, and I'll be on my way to the same place, looking for some spices for some dinner recipe I saw on the cooking network. I'm a bad cook, but I still try. As I walk up and down the aisles, you do the same on the other side of the store. Two aisles in and I found the spice, but I decide to walk around for a bit, looking for some cake mix... I really want some cake. You make your way to the register when you see me; I don't see you. You stop to look at me as a pick up some cans that were on the floor. Do you speak to me after what happened so many years ago? After you left me a shell of a person? You turn and come down my aisle, hoping that what happened was forgiven ages ago, you're still liked it; too mature. "Hey Chris…" you say, coming to a stop in front of me. I look up and see your beautiful face… you still have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen in my life.

"Hey," I say nonchalantly, "how are you?"

"good, how about yourself"

"You know me, living one day at a time."

Between us, a thick tension feels the air. So many unspoken words for so long.

"It's been so long, how's life treating you?"

"You know me…"

"Shitty?" You say with a laugh. I chuckle a bit, you can still make me laugh after all that time.

"Sure"

"well I'll be in town for a few days, if you'd like to meet up and grab a bite one day?"

Old memories rush to my brain as I think about the last conversation we had it so long ago.

"I don't know, I've got a lot on my plate…"

We converse for a bit, both ignoring what do you know I want to say. And we depart. You drive home to your brother, and on the way you reminisce about what we had, and I'll do the same. Wondering what our teenage love could have ended with. You pull up to your house, as I do mine, and we both sit and think about how things would have been differently. You wonder what a marriage and kid would have done for you, and I think about what my life would've been like if you had never turned away from me. Couple days later message me on social media, we converse, we meet up, we laugh, in the still of the date with the kiss. We realize we will never have what we had so long ago and we put e always I'll go back to my son and my family, and you to your career. We fade into obscurity, but on quiet nights we reminisce about those days when we were together, and all was right with the world. All we have are memories now.