Time Lost

Everyone knew his name, Elliot Danvers, everyone knew his story, everyone knew his morning routine.

It's as small as a town can get without giving up modern amenities. He loved the local park, you could find him there everyday, taking pictures of everyone he met. He paced back and forth so much the children could follow his path throughout the park. The park bench is much the same, no one in town would take his seat, but were always eager to take the seat next him and hang onto his every word. 

He was waiting on someone, that was obvious to everyone. His face would bend and twist with every passerby, they all loved his expressions. I know I did, it was his smile and the way he looked at me. The cracks and wrinkles on his face would disappear as his smile grew, almost as if all the years had yet to happen. It was the same look he gave me when he told me "I love you" for the first time, and just like the first time it slayed me, everytime. 

It was during his mid-forties, I thought he was just having a mid life crisis. Memory loss, it advanced so fast, it almost took him from me completely. I was pained and I was lost as all our difficult times, all our happy memories, our tender moments were taken away. It became harder to bare with every passing day, he knew me a little less, and I couldn't help but love him more. Because every morning when we'd meet at the park and he shined his smile at me, the love was still there, I was still there.

Every morning I retrace his steps, the way he paced to and fro. I take his seat on the bench, making his expressions, taking pictures of everyone I meet. I'm waiting for him, for the day he comes back to me. The day he'll remember everything and give me that smile, that smile enriched with our every moment. On his last day, his last good day, in that bed of ours he looked at me one one last time. I can never forget the way he looked at me that day, because that was the first and last time he saw me as a stranger.