Laugh and Love

"Is this real?" It is hard to imagine it to be so. Everything has a dreamy, ethereal quality to it, like in the movies.

"Does it have to be to be enjoyable?" A man sits across from me. We are sitting? Yes, sitting at a small round table. Everything has started to clear and now I can make out things. Sunlight filtering through a cloudy blue sky, the rustling of wind through trees. We are in a park, alone, yet somehow it is full of life. The clothes are indeterminable; he could be wearing a suit or a hawaiian shirt or even suspenders for all I can tell.

"I suppose not. Why am I here?"

"Just to talk if that's what you'd like." His voice is so soft and quiet, but there is a strength. It is a voice filled with many things, ranging from joy to sorrow. Yet there is no anger in it. His smile is nice, genuine and infectious. I smile back at him.

"I'd always wanted to meet you. You really influenced me as a kid. I don't think I would be the person I am if it weren't for you."

"I'm sorry we couldn't have met under different circumstances. Things just got...difficult." Though he hesitates, his smile doesn't falter. He just stares into the distance, admiring the view.

"It is pretty here. I guess we don't have long to talk? They never seem to in movies. Do you have any advice for me?"

He's quiet for a long time, or a short one. Hard to tell here. After a moment, he turned back to me, his smile somehow growing even softer.

"Laugh and love."

"Sounds a bit cheesy to me."

He chuckles, a pleasant sound that gets cradled by the breeze.

"The good ones usually do."

"Have I been doing good? I try to be like you when I can. I'm not too great at it, but I try."

"Oh, you're doing fine. You don't have to be like me. Be the you you were meant to be, not someone else. And remember to surround yourself with good people."

I smile now too.

"I'll try. Thanks for the chat. It was really nice to meet you. I'm sorry for what happened. I really wish I had been able to at least speak to you before...Anyway, it was beyond description to meet you, Mr. Williams."

"Oh don't worry about it. Things just didn't quite fall into the right places, I guess. And please, call me Robin."