They sat together on the grass, in the park, within a city that is in a constant state of insomnia. They sat together, her head on his lap as she read her book and his back against a tree with his eyes closed and a book in hand.
In the distance there was a lone performer on an electric piano playing some old songs, that sounded familiar and brought back some memories from another place and time. The lone performer was standing on the edge of the grass and behind the benches that surrounded the lake. He was providing the soundtrack this afternoon as the dogs ran around him and the birds competed for the audiences attention. They got some bread crumbs and he got some light applause.
Row boats were sprinkled on the lake, lovers, families and friends all taking in this late-spring afternoon. Within one there was a young man rowing slowly as his girlfriend was uncorking a bottle of wine. She had long hair, light with dark strands falling on her shoulders, she wore a low cut shirt painted white. He seemed a bit older than her but was handsome in an awkward way. Curly hair under a baseball cap, a dark blue t shirt and sunglasses.
An elderly couple sat on a bench directly across the lake facing the lone performer but oblivious to his music or his existence. The man was working on a crossword puzzle, his reading glasses upright and the top of his pen against his lips. He wore a Met’s baseball cap and paused here and there to have a look around the park, at the people, the birds and the trees. His lady sat to the left of him and she was reading a book and drinking a cup of coffee. She was a soft beauty who radiated elegance, soft hair fell on each side of her and glowed in the sun as it peaked between leaves and branches. She put her head on his shoulder and he smiled.
A family was walking around the lake – seemingly in celebration. The father was holding the mother’s arm as three younger children walked along with two older ones. They were laughing and pointing in different directions. The father stopped and listened to the lone performer who was now singing, “Simple Twist of Fate”, smiled and put in a twenty dollar bill into the collection hat. His wife kissed his cheek and pulled his arm so they could catch up with the kids who were now quarter of the way around the lake.
The elderly man pointed towards the family and kissed his wife’s head. The girlfriend sat up as the family walked passed and took a sip from her water bottle. The couple on the rowboat were making a toast to their future as the man got down on his knees and proposed to her.
Somewhere in the park there was an empty bench, young man was walking alone and wondering if he was meant to be alone…while on another side of the park a young girl walked, said a prayer and knew that it would come true. In its time, in its time.
Freddy Zalta 