Five Minutes

With One Glimpse

I have a confession to make.

I met up with Spice a few days ago.

He texted out of the blue. He was in the city for personal reasons, and asked if I wanted to meet up with him.

I had no reason not to. I said yes.

The rains were lashing intermittently while was I was driving though the metropolis. When I got there, every slot in the concrete parking lot was full. I had to park the car in some muddy spot, and walk several meters through the mire.

But it didn't matter because Spice was already there, waiting for me.

-----

I saw him first. He was in the crowd, his back towards me, looking out to the rainy lamp-lit street. Even if I haven't seen him in months, there was no mistaking him.

It was Spice. It was definitely him.

I approached him, pinched his lower back, and whispered in his ear, "Spice."

(My heart was not fluttering anymore. Strange)

"Eternal Wanderer!!!," he almost shouted as he turned around to face me.

He was grinning widely.

(His dimples. I couldn't help but look at his dimples. I fondly remember how cute they were. They still are.)

I smiled back broadly, and at the same time, I picked up the whiff of his scent. A new one, unlike the ones imprinted in my memories of the times he slept on my bed.

(And they are pleasant memories.)

I didn't stay long because he was with his cousin. We hurriedly kept tabs about what was happening in our lives. He asked me to join him for a beer with them. I politely refused since I wasn't in the mood to socialize with other people. He promised to come back to the city soon so we can spend more time with each other. I said, "Sure, that sounds great." And with that, I told him to go back to his cousin and enjoy the rest of his night.

-----

As I made my way home, it dawned on me that all of these transpired in a span of one cigarette.

Five minutes.

All it took was five minutes to realize that everything is fine. Finally.

No more recriminations, no more awkwardness, no more hard feelings. It was a good run, and now I can savor the good times that we shared without the nostalgic heartache that used to accompany them.

Unsurprisingly, the heavy downpour stopped. It can't rain forever, after all.

I opened the window to catch the breath of the cool air as I drove on the brightly-lit night city.

How the Sun Shines