Memories

I sat in the sun gazing quietly into hidden sea of memories. Moments after the tears dried on my cheeks they would start again, and I had no rest from the fresh ache that dwelt in my heart. An old acquaintance came and gently rested beside me. We sat in silence for a while before he posed the question.

“Why do you weep?” he asked in his normally reserved voice.

“Because I miss him,” I answered simply. It was the plain truth.

He pondered my answer for a few moments before responding. “Did you not miss your father this way?”

“No,” I answered. “How can I miss what was never there? For a void to be recognized, it must have been previously filled.”

He nodded sadly and sighed in what I could only see as agreement. Wishing to be alone with my thoughts I stood slowly and glanced at him. A single tear left its wet track as it rolled down his cheek, and I was uncertain why.

Wondering, I turned to walk away. Was he sad for the loss of my dog or because I lack emotion for other losses?