The Bench Warmer

There was a man sitting at a bench reading a newspaper. His tan jacket looked as if it needed a wash and the beard on his face was as unkept as the hair on his head. But what was peculiar about this man’s attire was not just the clothing he wore but also the watch that he had. It was a Rolex watch, a sign of wealth. Yet, he did not look the part of having money or even a job. His pants were covered in holes patched with either tape or scraps of cloth. And his hands were constantly shaking. He looked up as a man approached him. He looked at this newcomer with curious eyes but said nothing. This other man stopped in front of him and looked down. The frown he wore seemed to fit his face which looked as if it were chiseled from stone. “It’s a fine day aint it?” Asked the stranger. “Yeah, I guess.” Said the old man. He changed pages and the sound of rustling paper was the only sound heard. “You have to come back. You can’t just stay out here all your damn life. You old fool. Do you think you’re the only one suffering from all this?” The stranger’s voice was hoarse and he pulled out a paper towel from his black jacket and rubbed his eyes. “No, I don’t. You know god damn well George that I can’t go back. Not after this.” The old man looked into George’s eyes with a coldness that seemed to bite at the man. “You think you can just run away from your problems. You think that if you just up and leave that you’ll forget everything that happened. That’s just like you, Eric. Always been.” The old man’s face remained calm but his eyes seemed to have set afire. “You’d think a man would be able to live with himself after accepting that what he had done was the right thing. But the truth of it is, that you can’t just live with like everything is alright. Cause it aint. You just learn new ways to go on hating yourself. You know that I can’t go back. Hell, I don’t even know if I could force myself to go if I wanted to. So, you're now going to go tell everyone where I’m at? Go on ahead, no way I can stop you anyways.” George sighed and sat down beside Eric. He looked off into the distance. Looking at the bright blue sky and the green trees that filled the park. He saw a few birds flying in the sky as if they had a purpose in life. Maybe they do. “No, I ain’t going to George. At least not now. No point in doing so anyways, you’ll be long gone by the time I can get everyone else down here. Just, take care of yourself, ok?”  Eric looked at his brother for a long time. Time had done a number on both of them and old age doesn’t go easy on anybody. Eventually it’ll get the best of everyone and Eric could see that in the way his brother moved and the way he talked. Or the that raspy noise whenever he breathed.And he could also feel it in his bones. Age and time are two unforgiving bastards, Eric thought to himself. “Yeah.” Eric looked at the newspaper again and listened as his brother got up and walked away. His feet hitting the soft grass and the sticks that were strewn across the park. The watch on his wrist ticked away as time and old age seemed to grow heavier in his chest.