Eternity in a Moment

(Have you ever seen someone and for the briefest of moments you wonder what it would be like to be that person's friend or even date that person? Well whether it is a good thing or not, it happens to me quite often. So this is a little short story, or maybe it would be considered poetry, I wrote as kind of an exaggerated example of that. Basically a guy sees a beautiful girl and has visions of what it would be like to be close to her and such. Enjoy)

Eternity in a Moment

            I see her across the street standing at the crosswalk; we’re heading to opposite sides of campus. The sign flashes “WALK” and we both take a step onto the street, heading towards each other.

            She has a mesmerizing figure, the same figure upon which she wears a sleek black dress for our first date. I can’t take my eyes off of her, she looks breathtaking.

            I take another step.

            She has textbooks under her arm, the same textbooks she discards in the trash on the day we graduate college, side-by-side, starting a new life together.

            She looks up; we make eye contact.

            Deep emerald eyes stare back at me, the same eyes I gaze into on long summer nights as we whisper sweet nothings to each other and make promises that we both hope with all our heart we can keep.

            I smile at her; she smiles back.

            A cheerful smile from ear to ear, the same smile she gives me at our wedding ceremony as we fulfill the promises we made on those long summer nights: to love and cherish one-another even after we’ve grown old together.

            We both advance another step.

            Her luscious maroon hair bounces as she walks, the same way our daughter’s hair bounces as she runs around the backyard with her brother. We just look on with smiles, counting our blessings.

            She passes by me; I glance back for one last look.

            I see her gray sweater, the same gray color her hair has turned while we’ve aged. We’re in our eighties, sitting on our porch holding hands as we reflect on the wondrous memories we’ve made together.

            I turn around and face the empty crosswalk in-front of me.

            I experience a lacking, a similar lacking that I feel at her funeral; I’ve lost a part of myself. Our children are on either side of me, dressed in black with tear stains on their faces. They will never forget the love and devotion they’ve felt for the woman lying before them.

            I step onto the sidewalk. The moment has passed; the feelings are gone. I continue to walk, never to see her again.

            Today, I spent my life with the most beautiful stranger.