Someone I barely knew

He was sitting on the floor by a corner huddled.He looked up to see me walking towards him.
I’ve heard him many times do this on the phone but this was the first time I’ve seen the tears fall.
He was crying because she left him – again.

I crouched in front of him and didn’t say anything. I didn’t even reach out to touch him. I just sat there.

Then he started to speak, not to me or to anyone in particular.
He just started saying the things he desperately wanted to tell her but for reasons I would never know, he just couldn’t. So I sat in there and listened.

His despairing continued, fleeting thoughts following one after the other.
Sometimes it was about money; sometimes it was about time; many times it was about
understanding. And I sat there and listened.

Next thing I knew, I could feel tears running down my face.

Then I woke up.