Above the Vaulted Sky - Page 8

              ‘So if I wanted to find my girlfriend,’ I say, looking at my shoes. ‘She was in the car with me. How would I go about that?’
            ‘You know her better than anyone,’ he says, placing his hand on my shoulder. ‘Where do you think she’d go? If you want to find her, you’ll find her.’
              I obviously look disappointed.
              ‘Hey,’ he says. ‘Don’t worry about a thing. You have as long as you want in this place. The thing about people in love is they cross paths again if you’re patient and you wait. Don’t be fretting about why she’s not here. Some people wake up and they run. They don’t look back. Some of them close their eyes and disappear, but they’re out there somewhere.’ There is a twinkle in his eye I haven’t yet seen, as warm and familiar as the first day of summer.
            He stands up.
              ‘Where are you going?’ I ask.
              ‘I got places to go, people to see,’ he says, tapping his cane on the sodden ground. ‘I can’t spend all day spelling things out for you.’ I stand too, holding out my hand for the old man to shake.
              ‘Thank you, Benjamin,’ I say. ‘How can I find you again? I don’t suppose you have a phone?’
              He laughs. ‘Goddamn things, I remember a time when you put some thought into the things you wrote. Folk talked more when we sent letters.’ He considers. ‘Central park, every Friday at noon,’ he says. ‘By the lake in the middle. Come visit in the autumn, it’ll blow you away.’ He pauses. ‘Nice meeting you, son,’ he says, like he truly means it. ‘Now make me a promise and keep it.’
              I nod, it’s the least I can do for the old man.
              ‘Go have an adventure.’
              He blinks and he’s gone, like he was never there in front of me.