Riverwalk

                The man put his in his pocket again and looked both ways. Still nothing. Amidst the crowds that passed before him on the riverwalk, he anticipated when she would come into view. The smells of Texan food and the sounds of the crowd drifted him to memories of the past.

                Thomas Philips remembered their first meeting on the San Antonio River Walk.  He had a realtors convention that he got to attend on the company’s dime, and it gave him a break from the Nebraskan cold. So why not? It was his first time in Texas period. He had concluded the sessions for the day and was going for a walk on the riverwalk alone. The other attendees tried to convince him to join their partying, but he heard stories of how free booze and free hotel stays made everyone a little too adventurous for his taste.  

                He bobbed and weaved through the river of people; looking at the shops while maintaining distance from the edge of the river barely. He heard a yell over his right shoulder and turned to see a cyclist with a blue and red light on his helmet flashing, closing the distance on him. He instinctly stepped out of the policeman’s way as he sped past. Thomas tottered over the river, waving his hands slightly to keep his balance. Finally, he stopped moving and relaxed.

                The impact was low, solid, and fluffy. All he heard was a faint yell, Teddy! And the large brown and white shape of a Saint Benard thumping into him. He waved his hands again, but his weight betrayed him and dragged him into the river. Luckily for Thomas, the river was only four feet at this point so he got his footing after he was fully soaked. He brushed his hair out of his face to get a look at where the dog went, and maybe give the owner a piece of his mind. On the pavement, stood the St. Benard, panting and looking at this new creature rising from the river with curiosity. When their eyes met, it wagged its tail. Two seconds later a woman came running up to the dog and looked at the man standing in the river.

                “Oh my, lo siento, I’m so sorry”

                She looked about 28 by his estimation, only a few years younger than him. Her black hair hung over her shoulders. Her skin gave the impression she was a local which made her tank top and jean shorts stand out. She squatted and reached her hand out to him.

                “It's ok,” He said taking her hand as she helped him out of the river. His shirt, jeans, and dress shoes dripped along the walkway attracting dirty looks from the other bystanders.  

                “Teddy always chases the cyclist and he yanked the leash out of my hand this time.” She said.

                The dog looked up into the man’s face, panted, then licked his hand.

                “Nah it's ok,” He bent down to rub the dog's coat, “Teddy eh? You’re a good boy”. The dog began to wiggle his whole body in excitement at the compliment.

He turned to the woman, “I’m Thomas,” and extended his hand to her.

                “I’m Nita” she said and took his hand.

                Thomas was brought back to the present momentarily as a police bike sped by as in his memory. He checked his phone and looked both ways. Nothing. He sighed, sat down on a bench, and let his memories transport him back into the past again.

                Afterward, Nita offered to pay for his dry cleaning but instead, they settled on him taking her out to dinner the next night. He found out she was on vacation from Housten and brought Teddy as her traveling companion on all her adventures. That week continued on until the conference had ended. They met up for lunch and another dinner. At the end of dinner they knew they were going their separate ways, but not before she leaned in and kissed him. Then he leaned in more and kissed her back. And that began the series of long calls, the visiting Housten, and the visiting of Nebraska.

                Two years had passed. They had started as passionate and blissful lovers. But something happened. Neither of them could put their finger on it. But one would call, and the other was out. Then they got home, called back, and the phone tag ensued. This continued until they stopped chasing. Then like a fragrance in the wind, they drifted apart. Thomas found a woman in Nebraska, and Nita found a man in Housten and they married. They each started their own families that grew up and had their families.

                As their hairs greyed, and then whitened, time claimed their spouses before them. Whether curiosity or loneliness they began to search for love again. Dating websites, and meet-ups, but that itch still wasn’t scratched.

                One night Thomas logged on to his Facebook. He scrolled through memories of him and his family when a tab appeared on the bottom of the screen.

                Nita Gonzalaz wants to be your friend.

                The profile picture took him back countless years to that moment in the river. He moved the cursor over to the accept or reject buttons, hit accept, and closed his laptop. His mind ran through a couple of possibilities. On one hand, he thought She was probably married, and had a family. Maybe she lives out of the country? If he had remembered his grandson's tips for navigating Facebook, he could have seen her life’s story from the start til now.

                The next day he opened the laptop and logged on to see a message in his inbox from Nita. His heart began to beat faster. He felt young again. Then the correspondence was reborn.

                He ran his hand through his grey hair mixed with white. The humidity from the river mixed with his nerves moistened his brow. He pulled out his phone to check the message when a little brown and white shape stopped at his feet and pawed at him. The face of a St. Benard puppy looked up into his time-worn face. He laughed as the puppy licked his wrinkled hands. He saw a red leash leading from the pup's collar to a beautiful white-haired woman who shared the wrinkles of time with her beaming smile.

                “Hi Thomas,” She said.

The End