Part 12
The man on the bench was named Arthur,
he was a teacher,
he was a historian,
he was a man who loved stories,
he was a man who listened,
he was a man who cared,
we talked for hours,
we talked about books,
we talked about history,
we talked about life,
we talked about everything,
we didn't talk about my husband,
we didn't talk about my sister,
we didn't talk about the fraud,
we didn't talk about the prison,
we didn't talk about the pain,
it was refreshing,
it was cleansing,
it was liberating,
I felt a weight lift from my shoulders,
I felt a tension leave my muscles,
I felt a smile reach my heart,
it was a new feeling,
it was a forgotten feeling,
it was a hopeful feeling,
we met the next day,
we met the day after,
we met every day,
we walked through the park,
we ate ice cream,
we watched the ducks,
we enjoyed the simple things,
we enjoyed the small things,
we enjoyed the real things,
I felt myself changing,
I felt myself softening,
I felt myself opening,
I was no longer the hunter,
I was no longer the avenger,
I was no longer the machine,
I was just a woman,
a woman who was learning to live,
a woman who was learning to laugh,
a woman who was learning to love,
Arthur was patient,
he was kind,
he was gentle,
he never pushed,
he never probed,
he never demanded,
he accepted me as I was,
he accepted me with my silence,
he accepted me with my secrets,
he accepted me with my past,
he was a gift,
he was a grace,
he was a blessing,
I looked at him one evening,
we were walking by the pond,
the sun was setting,
the sky was orange,
the water was gold,
"Arthur,"
I said,
"why are you with me?"
"why do you spend time with me?"
"what do you see?"
he stopped,
he turned to me,
he took my hand,
his hand was warm,
his hand was steady,
"I see a woman,"
he said,
"I see a woman who has walked through fire,"
"I see a woman who has survived the storm,"
"I see a woman who is still standing,"
"I see a woman who is beautiful,"
"I see a woman who is strong,"
"I see a woman who is worth knowing,"
I cried,
I couldn't help it,
the tears came,
they were hot,
they were stinging,
they were cleansing,
they were the last of the pain,
they were the end of the mourning,
he pulled me into his arms,
he held me close,
he held me tight,
he held me safe,
and for the first time in eighteen years,
I felt safe,
I felt secure,
May you like
I felt loved,
and it was the greatest victory of all.
