Returning

Come out and play with me. The kids are in school. The husband is at work. Leave the housework for a day. You know you want to. Come out and play with me, like we used to do.

This is no offer of sex. We have strict boundaries, for your sake and mine. But feel the intimacy flow over all boundaries, and our love submerge us back in time to when you wore a plaid skirt and I wore a blue shirt and tie.

Let's take a walk in the woods. Empty your head to me. It will be just us for the next four hours. And when you tell me of your loneliness you will be free of it. And when I tell you of my despair I will find comfort.

You are allowed to put your hands on my arms. I am allowed to quickly run my hand over your hair. We are allowed to find each other here, this afternoon, in the quiet green of the deep woods. Time is beginning to move very quickly and who knows when we'll have another afternoon together like this. Our lives did not turn out exactly as we envisioned. We have that in common. We also have in common our history of friendship, a falling apart, and a returning.

This afternoon is a celebration of our returning, of finding each other when we needed each other, all these years later. Time is moving very quickly now, and I picked these dandelions just for you.