a little twist of fate

i ran into this man today in the park.  it was our 3rd random encounter.  i don't know his name. he doesn't know mine. he speaks broken english. i speak broken spanish. yet, somehow, we manage to communicate perfectly.  he remembers everything i have told him in our previous 2 encounters. i remember that he gave me a valentines poem the last time we ran into each other. the beauty of it all is that this man, a virtual stranger, has given me the clearest insight into a man's mind. through his broken words, he has told me why men do what the do, how they are scared of vulnerability. his words make what i am feeling okay, they validate me. in our brief encounters, he has given me a vast knowledge into another life and shown me what i believe is a beautiful soul.  i told him it was fate that we kept meeting like this. he told me he had a feeling that today would be the last time we saw each other, until the next life. i wanted to call after him as he walked away. to thank him for making me believe in something, what exactly i don't know. for showing me that my heart was strong. as he crossed the street, expanding the distance between us, i felt my throat constrict. i knew that i wanted to cry. but i didn't. i did what i always do. i just kept walking.