Lunch Break

He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Vihaan tried to find an empty bench but on a beautiful summer afternoon, the park was full of midday lunchers from the office buildings just across the way, out to enjoy the sun. He settled for a secluded one away from the sea of pinstripes, pantsuits, and ties, and sat next to a harmless-looking old man. He too was dressed up but didn't strike Vihaan to be part of the regular nine-to-five crowd.

"Nice day we're havin' he said as soon as Vihaan sat down. "Better than yesterday with all of that rain and cool air. Used to be that summer was summer. Nowadays, the weather changes one day to the next." He reached into the left pocket of his brown plaid jacket and pulled out a handful of peanuts.

"Peanuts?" He asked as he shoved a fistful a little too close to Vihaan's face who smiled politely but refused.

"Ya look like ya got other things on ya mind 'sides the weather, kid" the old man continued. "Ya alright?" Great, Vihaan thought to himself, a talker.

"I'm fine," he said flatly fixing his eyes straight ahead on a group of tourists in the distance trying to find their way. As the old man turned to face him and edged closer on the bench, Vihaan suddenly noticed an odd sort of smell permeating the air. Musty clothing that needed a good wash.

"I been 'round long enough to know that look," the old man said between peanut crunches. "What's her name and what'd she do to ya?"

After a sigh of surrender, Vihaan turned to the old man and replied: "Her name is Madison."

"Madison... crunch, crunch Madison..." the old man repeated as if trying to recollect where he had heard the name. "Nope, never dated any Madisons. Dated a Mrs. Adison though. She was a cute one, alright. Always up for a good time. I remember once we... hehehehe... Well anyhow. So this Madison, she break ya heart?" He popped more peanuts into his mouth, chewing voraciously.

"You could say that."

"They all do kid, sooner or later. Better to learn it now than when you get to be my age. Hehehehe."

"Yeah, I guess so," Vihaan agreed, feigning the old man's light laughter.

"Goes to show," the old man continued, "ya never know what problems people got. I mean the minute ya sat down, I took one look at cha' in ya fancy suit and glasses carrying that briefcase and said to myself: now there's a young guy who's got it made. There's a young man who's running the show. Probably doesn't have a care in the world."

"Yeah well, I guess you'd be wrong about that." Whether he was tired from the glaring sun, beating down mercilessly on everyone and everything, or the conversation with the old man, Vihaan couldn't decide. He stood up to leave. The old man, seemingly having no place else to go, remained seated, popping peanuts into his mouth, observing and absorbing all of the action around him. It was then that he realized what it was that made the old man different from his surroundings. Everyone in the vicinity was headed somewhere, doing something, working in a limited time frame. They talked as hurriedly as they ate. The old man, meanwhile, seemed rudderless with no real sense of urgency. For all intents and purposes, despite his cheerful demeanour he seemed...lost somehow.

His voice tinged with nostalgia the old man continued on. "My Mrs. Adison broke it off with me. Went back to her husband. Forgot all about me. Never forgot her though. "Wha'd your Madison do to you?"

As he walked away Vihaan turned and said: "she fired me."