[ RF ] `` People do n't cry because of death . They grieve over lost opportunities , lost potential , memories that could have been made ... but were n't . ''

“ People do n't cry because of death. They grieve over lost opportunities, lost potential, memories that could have been made… but weren't. ” 
 
 Silence lasted for a moment, and then broke. “ Come on, do n't say pretentious stuff like that at the bloody funeral of all places. ” 
 
 Smiling softly, the young man bowed his head. “ I'm sorry, nothing meant by it. ” 
 
 The other people took the apology with murmuring, moving their attention back to wherever it needed to be. However, for one of them, he had captured her interest. Through the rest of the ceremony, she kept an eye on him and, when it all finished, she followed him through the crowd. 
 
 He strode down the street, the difference between their legs making it hard for her to keep up. While familiar with the area, nothing about where he headed stood out to her. As far as she could remember, that side of town just had residential areas. 
 
 But, he did n't stop at a house. The small field had a few benches scattered around the edges, and a pair of oak trees thrown in for good measure. She supposed it should have been a park, but it did n't look all that good for playing. Not big enough for games, really. Rather, somewhere old people rested on the way home from church, or a business place for dogs. 
 
 Out of place, he sat down in the shade of the one tree. The weather had n't warmed up enough to require shade, but she did n't feel so cold that a break from the gentle sunshine would discomfort her. 
 
 “ Would you like to join me? ” 
 
 It made her jump, even though said calmly, and even though she suspected he'd known all along. She had n't been trying to hide herself. But, she had n't found the courage to speak out either. So, with a sense of relief, she closed the distance between them to arm's reach. 
 
 The wind talked in their place, for a bit. It nipped at her hands and ankles, always a chill to it amongst the city streets. Reddened her cheeks, and made her nose run. She sniffled, for what good it did her. 
 
 “ Did you have something you wished to discuss? ” 
 
 She did n't, but she had something she wanted to talk about. “ I, just, what you said. ” 
 
 “ Ah, I'm sorry if I offended you. ” 
 
 “ No, it's not that, ” she said, still stumbling over the words in her head that did n't want to organise themselves. She took in a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. “ What did you mean by it? ” 
 
 He chuckled, resting his head back, and set his gaze to above the houses, where the clear sky bustled along what wisps of clouds remained. “ I suppose I meant that we're not all that fussed about his passing, but rather how it inconveniences us. ” 
 
 She wrinkled her nose. “ That's a lot less pleasant of a way to put it. ” 
 
 “ Hence why I took it back, before anyone thought too hard about what I said. ” 
 
 After a pause for another sniffle, she asked, “ Then, what did you mean by it? ” 
 
 His laughter danced on the breeze, and she found it almost infectious. “ I suppose I meant I am a rather cynical person, or, if I may be kind to myself, rather practical about it all. ” 
 
 She hummed in thought, for a moment. “ And what do you mean by that? ” 
 
 “ Well, if I had a broken down car, I would n't be upset. That I could n't make it to work, or to see a friend, or to home, that's what would upset me. ” 
 
 “ I think some would cry over a car. ” 
 
 He smiled, softly. “ Yes, but I would n't, hence why I'm a rather cynical person. ” 
 
 The silence of the city filled the gap left between them, full of distant cars and buses, and the rumble of sound systems and televisions, and the whistle of the wind between the branches. Then, she asked, “ Do you mean that? ” 
 
 He did n't answer, but she looked at him, with his gentle smile, and she looked at his eyes that he kept so firmly above the horizon. Closing the gap between them to nothing, she rested her hand on top of his, and he whispered, “ No. ” 
 
 She looked away from him, instead looking off into the distance as he did, and she said, “ It's going to be okay. ” 
 
 “ Do you mean that? ” he asked. 
 
 “ Yes, I do, ” she said, and she did.
