Have You Seen Him?

I walked to the park, like I do every Sunday. The cool wind was blowing gently, the sound of children laughing fills the air. I can feel the nice and crispy leaves crunch beneath my shoes as I walk to my bench.

I take a seat, my old bones finally able to rest. I sigh and look around. Young couples sitting together on the grass, children running around the playground and smiling, and people having conversations.

It's strange how small moments like these can only last for what can seem to be a few minutes. Who knows if they will ever remember those conversations with either complete strangers or loved ones.

I know I don't remember all of them.

"Mr. Knight! Mr. Knight!" One of the kids yell as him and his friend come running towards me.

"Hello boys," I smile. I can't quite remember their names, but they remember mine. "How have you two been?"

"Great! Tommy got on the baseball team at school and I'm learning a new song on guitar." One says to me.

"That's wonderful!" I smile at the two, asking what song.

"It was one of yours. I forgot the name, I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Thank you for that, though." I say. It warms my heart knowing that generations later, our music is still appreciated.

"Wanna hear a joke?" Tommy asks.

"Sure."

"What do you call a city that's in an egg?" He asks, his smile wide.

"I don't know. What do you call it?" I ask.

"New Yolk City!" He says, him and his friend bursting with laughter.

I start laughing too. That was actually a really good joke. The guys would have loved it too.

"We're gonna go back and play, but have a good day, Mr. Knight," the first kid tells me.

I nod at them and smile while they run off. I close my eyes slightly, leaning back into the bench as the sun warms me up a bit. Shades of orange and yellow dance under my eyelids and I sigh slightly. I sit like this for a while, just basking in
the sun.

My eyes take a moment to readjust after I open them. I look around and I see a familiar head of brown hair, sitting under a tree. All I had to do was blink and he was gone. Where did he go?

I haven't seen him in so long. It's been years since I saw him. I could have sworn I just heard him talking to someone right now, or laughing with a friend, but it wasn't him. It was never him, just someone passing by and my mind twisting and conjuring up his voice.

I listen to our songs, watch some interviews just to remember who we were all those years ago. We were so young, free and full of energy. We used to pull all nighters making music and spend countless nights playing Mario Kart on the buses. Jumping around on stage, singing our songs into a crowd of people we will never know, but who know us and will scream those lyrics back.

And I'll never forget the last day I saw him all those years ago. The accident that pulled him from my life, from his own. He didn't know it was going to happen, none of us did.

I visited him that night, he was hardly breathing. I remember making my way over to him and saying that I'll never forget him, that I'll always love him. He gave me one last kiss. It was weak and full of sadness and mourning.

Everyday after that, I looked around for something, anything he could have left behind. Maybe there was a letter? A ring? An unsent text? Nothing.

I stood up from my bench. A lot of the families had left. I walked for a while, not too sure where I was going. I realized where I was wandering off to. I walked over to the stone, placing my hand on it. I ran my fingers over the granite, feeling it's smoothness. The reason why I come to visit this park every Sunday.

In loving memory of Geoff Wigington. A beloved friend, beloved brother, and beloved son. Gone, but never forgotten.