I recognized his eyes as soon as he walked through the door. I froze. I couldn’t do this right now. Our gazes locked on one another as my line of sight trailed downwards to his dirty brown boots. The weight of his gait cracking the floor boards. I could feel my heart caught in my throat, then plummeting down to the ground. Ripe and ready to be crushed beneath his feet.

The smell of cheap wine and cigarettes began to permeate the surrounding air as he pulled a bar stool next to me. He let out a long sigh as he plopped himself in the chair. One leg crossed over the other. Adjusting the taped frames of his glasses, clearing his throat. Then finally his words pierced through the air like a jet through the sound barrier, “my, oh my… Look at how the years have changed us both.”