He sat on the concrete bench in the center of the garden. This is where he asked her to meet him. He tipped his water bottle back, taking a long sip. It was hot, he thought, the water and the air. Nothing could stay cool in the Florida summer heat.
He was nervous. He wiped his sweaty palms on his cargo pants. He stood and paced around the garden, even the shade from the nearby palm trees couldn’t cool him down. He gave up walking and sat back down on the bench.
He was an hour early for their meeting. In his head he was going over what he was going to say to her. He had it all planned, but he didn’t want to screw it up. This was their big moment, he was going to propose today. He had to make it perfect. He was so lost in thought that he failed to notice the shadow that draped over him during the past few minutes.
“Do you mind if I sit?” a deep gravely voice came from behind him.
Startled Nick nearly fell off the bench, he turned and got his first glimpse of the man who the voice belonged to. The man was wearing a long gray coat, which matched his gray hair. He had a salt-n-pepper beard, and was missing a tooth – right in the front of his mouth. He had pants on that were so thick with dirt it was difficult to tell which color they were, and a distinct odor was clearly travelling with him.
Nick didn’t know what to think of the man. He seemed out of place in the beauty of the garden. This part of the garden was well kept and cared for, and this man clearly had not seen a shower for some time. Shaken by his appearance, and worried about the man disturbing his proposal plan, Nick hesitantly shrugged his shoulders, letting the man decide for himself if he would stay or go, and hoping for the latter.
The old man came around to the front of the bench, and sat beside Nick. He sighed, and gazed around the garden. Nick sat stiffly on his end, hoping the man would leave quickly. He did not.
After several minutes passed, Nick started to worry about how he was going to propose to his girlfriend with this man here. The garden had several alcoves, but this was the prettiest in Nick’s opinion. It was also where Nick and his girlfriend first kissed so it had sentimental value for them.
The odor from the man was starting to burn Nick’s nose and was distracting him from his thoughts. Suddenly the old man turned to him.
“It’s a beautiful day today isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” Surprised by the sudden conversation, Nick gazed over at the old man, who was still looking straight ahead.
“This place has always been special.” He continued, “When I was young I met the love of my life here. Yes, this place has always been special.” The old man appeared to be lost in thought. Nick nodded to the man that he was listening, although he needn’t have because the old man continued as though it didn’t matter, “We came here in August, and walked the paths, but this place in particular caught our eye.”
Nick started in surprise, August was when he met his girlfriend here too. The old man was still talking, and Nick missed some of what he said, thinking about his own trip here in August.
“…and then she kissed me. Right here on this bench.” The old man finished. Again, Nick was surprised by the similarity to his own story, although he was certain that many people have a similar experience in the beautiful gardens.
The old man continued, and Nick began to get entranced in the story. The old man said he proposed to his girlfriend on a beautiful day, much like this one, and that they spent a wonderful honeymoon in St. Lucia. After St. Lucia, the old man said the woman started to drink, socially at first, but then he’d find her sneaking it from him and drinking more often. The old man said he found his wife outside on the street on more than one occasion from drinking to much and not being able to find her way home.
While the man talked, Nick listened, he listened attentively to every word the man said. Somehow, in someway what the man was telling him seemed important.
The old man continued explaining that there came a point where he had to let the love of his life go, because she loved the drink more. He said that he loved her so much that he couldn’t forget her. He said he tried for months, years even, but nothing worked. Then the old man turned to Nick, “So I did the only thing I could do for her. I joined her. I joined her on the streets. I don’t drink. Oh no, never that, I hate to drink. I look out for her. I keep watch over her. Today…” He said, “is our 43rd anniversary. I come here once a year on this day to remember the beginning.”
Having heard his story Nick was in shock. He had no doubt that the man spoke the truth. He had also grown to have a new-found respect for the man. Nick reached out to the man, offering him his hand. “I’m honored to meet you, sir.”
“Nick,” the old man said, “You can call me Nick.”
