A Single Tear

An old man rests peacefully on his favorite bench in the park. His eyes slightly unfocused, staring blankly at the pink clouds on the blossoming cherry tree. He visits the park everyday as it has become his temple for reflection and contemplation. A place where he can unite with his gods and wrestle with his demons. His memories play through his mind like a black and white movie. While he mostly observes the scenes, every once in a while, he puts one into a freeze frame, touches it, tastes it, dives into the feelings surrounding it, then lets it go and moves on to the next. Lately, he finds himself on repeat as he remembers the first moment he laid his eyes (and his heart) upon his wife. It was a warm, sunny day in the beginning of spring. He was taking a carefree walk through the neighborhoods, admiring the blossoming magnolias and budding spring flowers in his neighbors gardens. The moment she opened the door to his heart, he saw her standing below a tree with a tear in her eye as she tried desperately to coax her new kitten down from the tallest branch. He approached her slowly, their eyes met, and then both turned to the meowing creature stuck in the tree. He surveyed the situation, took off his jacket and hat, jumped to reach the nearest branch, and in a series of eloquent twists and turns, climbed to the top of the tree and rescued the kitten. When he made it safely to the ground, he was greeted with a smile that lit up the entire town. A smile that still lights up his eyes when he thinks of her, his soulmate. They had a beautiful life together and although he climbed that tree to rescue the kitten, there were many times that she climbed mountains to rescue him. As he drifts back to the park, and the poetic blooms of the cheery tree, he brings a hand to his face and wipes away a single tear born out of love and remembrance.