Timing

The greatest compliment      
I can remember being given      
was from a guy who came in where I worked.
A regular.      
Taj.      
Always ordered the same thing;        
harborside lobster and shrimp,        
top shelf long island.      
He had good taste.        
Left good tips.      
     
He told me      
he wished    
we'd been together in the past,      
parted on good terms,      
and were now close friends        
so that he would have      
at least the memory      
of being with me      
instead of having to wonder.      
       
Such a powerful statement!  
It struck me.        
     
That not being with someone      
could cause more pain      
than having lost them.      
The need to know the taste of them,      
remember their touch,      
could be so strong      
that it would drive you to be near them      
once or twice a week      
for six months      
just to feel the shadow      
of what might have been.      
     
I felt it too.      
The chemistry.    
My heart would beat faster    
when I knew he was there.       
If we had been together      
it would have been amazing,      
but we met too late.        
I was already in the right place.      
Cruel timing.      
     
So he came in,      
ordered the same thing      
from the bar      
near my section.      
We made small talk,      
jokes,      
smiled,      
wondered...        
Until it was too much,      
and I never saw him again.