Second Chances

Second Chances By William Holden I sat at what had become my spot, a small wooden bench on Kite Hill overlooking the city. In the distance, the pride flag stood tall and proud at the corner of Market and Castro. I watched with deepening sadness as the flag twisted and turned in the bay breeze. The cooling temperatures of the day meant only one thing to the residents here, the end of summer. For me, it meant the end of my extended stay; the end of what had become one of the happiest times of my life. I never meant for any of it to happen. After all, I had someone waiting for me back home. But something happened to me the day I stepped off the plane three months ago. I don’t know if it was, perhaps it was the ocean air or the electrifying energy of the city. More than likely it was my own loneliness for never having made the life for myself I had always dreamed of. Whatever it was, fate, destiny, or some other circumstance, it let me forget my life back home. As I sat on the bench, our bench, the realization that our time was gone hit me like a runaway train. I was alone with only the warmth of his kiss lingering on my lips to comfort me. In the dread of loneliness, I wasn’t sure if I could board the plane and go home. We had already said our goodbyes and had one last cry in each other’s arms. But as the taxi drove away with him inside of it, I knew there was one last goodbye I had to make—Kite Hill. It was the only place I wanted to be, the only place where I thought I could make my peace. I had spent almost every night here. The only difference was I was staring off at the city below me without him by my side. I looked over at the empty space on the bench. I reached out and ran my fingers over the rough, weathered surface of the wood where he used to sit holding my hand. I closed my eyes hoping to feel his presence held within the grains of wood. Tears filled my eyes. I opened them, and I stared out across Market Street. I wondered where he was, and if he was thinking of me and missing me like I was him. A twinge yanked at my heart with the thought of him alone in the city. My mind drifted off to the day we met.