Many years ago, I had a friend named Tom. He and I used to just hang out and talk. It was the 60s before the age of smartphones, Wi-Fi and social media, before WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook and all the other messenger and chat facilities, and people did that then—hang out and talk. Tom had a two-room flat with a shared bathroom. We would often talk for hours with Tom reclining on his bed and me sitting in an old cloth easy chair with ragged arms. There was something welcoming about Tom that I never really tried to put my finger on. We were both just kids then, but we felt like we were “king of the world.”
One day, while I was visiting and talking with Tom, there was a knock on the door and Tom went to open it. There stood a girl about our age or younger. She was petite with a round face and dimples. She had shoulder-length brown hair with beautiful curls that hung down in ringlets.
She said not a word but it was obvious she and Tom knew each other. Without a greeting or introduction, Tom went and lay back down on the bed and she lay beside him, with her head on his chest and her face almost obscured by her chestnut-brown curls.
I was surprised when Tom continued the conversation exactly where we had left off without in any way acknowledging his additional guest. We continued to talk for nearly an hour as she lay there in Tom’s arms. Then, as abruptly as she had arrived, she got up and left without a word.
Of course I was filled with curiosity but had been too uncomfortable to ask while the girl was present. “Who was that and what did she want?” I asked as Tom shut the door behind her. “Oh, that was Alice, she came to be held.” Tom always had a succinct way of describing things and I knew there was no point in further probing.
I have long lost track of Tom and I don’t remember ever seeing Alice again but every once in a while I think about that day when Alice came to be held. I had come for conversation and Alice had come to be held. Sometimes things are just that simple.
[su_panel background=”#f2f2f2″ color=”#000000″ border=”0px none #ffffff” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #ffffff”]by Michael Jenkins
