The Man In The Concrete Bench

It's past two in the morning and I'm sitting beside an empty highway. The lamp post that emits a melancholic yellow-orange light is the only witness of my sad brown eyes. The effect caused by those few glasses of dry gin martini I drank has finally subsided. But, it opened my consciousness into realizing that I haven't drink a single glass of water the entire day. Now, I'm too thirsty to even swallow my saliva. 

I looked up when I realized that maybe I feel unease not only because of the lack of water in my body but also because my soul is thirsty for a company. A desire to have someone to warm me up with an embrace every time a cold wind would pass through me, a hand to hold to remind me I'm not alone every time I would miss the loud voices of the tipsy bar-goers, a shoulder to lean on when my drunkenness has turned into tiredness and sleepiness. 

I grinned as I recall how I spent the entire night smiling, laughing, and meeting random strangers, in a room of beautiful vibrant people. But now, the reality of my existence has shown up. I am a sad broken soul longing for someone. I looked at the empty space beside me where I am seated. I am alone, an unbelievable contrast when I look back to the fun nightlife I've had the entire summer vacation. 

A light from a distance has caught my attention, followed by a horn. It was the bus en route past my neighborhood. I stood up and walked towards the side of the dusty thruway.

As I wave to the incoming bus, notifying the driver that I would need a ride, I glanced at the concrete bench I was seated on earlier and released an optimistic smile. I have been choosing to seat in that same spot for so many times, at 2 am each time, waiting for a ride. And the smile I gave to it, is a wish that maybe someday, time will come that I will find myself again on this concrete bench, but finally with someone: someone special, someone I genuinely love, someone to share my life with, someone to hold hands while my adored youth fades away. 

The bus stopped in front of me, picking me up away from the spot that never missed to remind me of the lonely life I have.