Running from Reality

They sat together on the same bench. Strangers to each other but not to such a life they both experienced. Though different in their own ways, hardship from an early age hung within the air.

This old rusted bench gave comfort as it over looked the cold waters to the vast ocean. The wind blew at different speeds and chills with the smell of salt wrapped around it.

Over the years many have come to enjoy such beauty but not as much as these two young people have. One would claim they owned this particular land if they were to count the amount of times either had showed up to just sit and fall away from reality.

He was from the streets. Born into a world where every day ways a constant struggle to keep breathing, to make each hour living from nothing. He made his own amusement. Many gave him pity but not the security a child needed. As he made friends over the years of trying to attend school, very few cared to acknowledge his reasons for wearing dirty clothes with a constant empty stomach.

His showers were from the rains that fell from darkened clouds as his shelters were cardboard boxes to under bridges and if lucky, one stay a week in a small bed unknown to it's owner.

His polite nature was beyond the adults he met as he tried to make little to go further than one would think could. Practical and smart he started out small and thought bigger as each thing he dreamt of became accomplished.

She was born into a family that looked normal to the everyday world. The lawn always kept neat and tidy. Nothing out of place. Perfect in every way.

Neglect and abuse hid within the walls of the house and not a soul knew of such tales unless one opened their mouth. From the very start she new that she was unwanted. A child having to make adult decisions where she was left alone days on end. Mother living for herself in high society as Father took to using hands not for loving.

School days she strove for acceptance by playing on every sports team, joining clubs and making honor role year after year. Little did anyone know she received a hurtful hand when she walked through the doors of her own home.

Makeup hiding what clothes couldn't as the smile forever placed upon her face, her eyes told all that needed release.

Both at their own times escaped their reality hoping to find something more. A long void where something, anything, could fill such emptiness in lives needing help to move on.

For the first time they met this day. Both caught up in a world where they wanted to run from everything they knew. The hardest one yet with no one to turn to.

As he glanced in her direction, it was evident of a forming black and purple bruise upon her left cheek. Her eyes stained of black ink from running mascara as her lips were split and puffy. Beautiful but damaged by another's hand.

She felt his eyes on her as she turned to look in his direction. She had just missed his full profile but studied him anyway. His hair choppy and messy, clothes tattered and worn. A hard demeanor from a rough life but attractive if given the chance.

As they fell back to their own worlds staring out into the sunset for another day done, both sighed at the same time. Caught off guard before breaking into laughter they brightened each other's spirits looking fully into the others face.

Memorized by sheer attraction, blushes rose to both ears. Lost in eyes that told the stories of a longing soul and a hurting heart, fate brought them closer then ever before.

Today marked a friendship deeper than water. They were comfortable with one another without knowing why. As they opened up and shared their lives and living in the others' shoes, they concluded for the night to continue the next day.

Days turned into months as they met periodically.

Neither of their lives were getting better.

He had found himself beaten and bloody left in an alley from a passing gang.

She had ran into older male hands touching as innocence soon became lost with screams and tears filling open air.

They held each other tight trying to mend the others wounds.

A year passed.

She never showed after that.

He waited each night with a long stemmed rose hoping to see her.

Walking past one Autumn evening, I saw him sitting there looking out like he always did with that long stemmed rose.

I tapped him on the shoulder as he questioned my notion.

I pointed to the white little plaque with black writing nailed to the tree as the setting sun hit it in a warm glow.

Never had I seen him breakdown the way he did.

Her life had been taken by the hands of her own flesh and blood as he was taken to prison for 1st degree. A grand funeral and the truth shared. She longed to be where the sun touched the horizon.

I left him to grieve the loss of someone he loved and who loved him back. It was not my place to stay when not needed.

Three weeks later and reading the newspaper, the headliner talked about a boy who saved a young girls' life. She had fallen into the unknown waters from being on the pier in bad weather. He had jumped in to save her.

He did but in return lost his own.

Tonight while in my passing of that old rusted bench over looking the vast ocean with beautiful sunsets, I remember the time I first saw those two young people sitting and staring out over the horizon loosing themselves from reality.

How fate placed them together from the very start and threw them for a whirlwind every step of the way making it harder to bare.

Closely looking by the tree that stood beside the old rusted bench lay a single long stemmed rose on the moss cover ground. A newly written plaque nailed neatly underneath the first in black writing stated the young boys' love of a girl who was just like him, given a hard life that never gave them the chance to see it through.

Together at last and in peace.

They sat together on the same bench. Strangers to each other but not to such a life they both experienced...