My favorite spot? I would know the answer to that question instantly.
There was this place near the river, where the shallow water rhythmically ticked away on the rocks below, creating a little waterfall. The sound would resonate nicely in the spring air. It was a delightful place; it was calm, charming, and no one ever seemed to come there. I would often spend a couple of hours there after work to calm down, relax and write, before going home and doing my usual evening routine of eating, reading and falling asleep afterwards.
But today, there was someone there. As I approached that river, I could see an old man sitting underneath the big tree that stood right next to the water, which was casting a cooling shadow upon the ground on these warm spring days. I wondered what the man was doing there, and it somewhat felt as if my favorite spot had been invaded; I was on the verge of leaving it for the day, but my curiosity got the better of me.

As I closed the distance, I saw a smile forming on the man's face and he stood up. When I came within talking range, he looked at me and started talking.
"So, you did come," he stated out of the blue.
I was puzzled by this, and I pondered what to say for a bit. Then I responded:
"I guess I did. It's a wonderful place, don't you think?"
He looked away from me. "...It is wonderful indeed," he said slowly, "but I've known that for years."
He walked to the river and lowered himself to the water. He dipped one of his hands into the water, nodded, and proceeded to make a bowl with his hands. He scooped up some of the water and tried to throw it at me. He missed by a long shot.
"Hey, what was that for?"
"You see, this used to be my favorite spot back in the days."
"Back in the days?"
"Not anymore," he responded, "but it still is as beautiful as it was back then. When I came here to relax."
"We share our feelings towards this place. But why did you stop coming here?"
"I was quite shy when I was younger, and I couldn't stand the idea of sharing my spot, so to say," he explained, "but this also meant that when I saw someone sitting here a couple of years ago, I had "lost" my spot."
I pondered over his words and then responded: "So, you simply gave up on your favorite spot, because someone else was there."
"My, aren't you straightforward," he laughed, "but yes, that's the gist of it. I kept checking every day, but that person would always be there. And pathetic as it may sound, I couldn't bring up the courage to talk to him."
I heard a hint of sadness in his words.
"That's not pathetic, it's understandable. I mean, it tak-"
"I know it's not pathetic," he interrupted, "I know that. Sometimes you just need to let a man ramble. But still, why was I so bothered back then by that, while I can talk to you perfectly now?"
"What do you mean?"
He looked straight at me, and then looked away. Just when I was about to ask about it again, he said:
"You are very naïve, but perhaps it is for the better in this world." He paused for a second. "If you don't want to be hurt, that is."

I repeated his words in my head when I suddenly realized I had a large part in his story. Feeling guilty, I decided to steer the conversation in a different direction.
"Did you find a different spot? Something better even?"
He looked back at me, not expecting the question. "I sure did," he responded, "as nice as nature and outside might be, there's nothing that beats it."
He piqued my curiosity. He seemed genuinely convinced that he had learned of the perfect place.
"What would that be?"
"My number one place would be wherever the one I love is," he said with a grin on his face, "nowadays, being with my wife is the only time I feel I am spending wisely."
He then turned his back on me and asked: "Did you find your special person already?"
"I have not."
He then faced me again and thought for a bit.
"I hope you find her soon." He stopped for a while, but wasn't done. "That's the least I can do for you."
That surprised me. "What did I do?"
"Thanks to you, I met the most precious person in my life," he said, seeing my puzzled look, "and made her mine," he added.

"Upon seeing you at my spot every day, I needed to find a new location to relax at. After a while, I found a beautiful little piece of art, hidden away behind a small forest. There is this gigantic cherry blossom tree close to a little pond, and the pond is filled with swans that swim around without a care in the world. I fell in love immediately, and I decided to sit against the trunk of that tree. A wonderful smell filled my nose."
He instinctively sniffed as if he was looking for that same smell here.
"It's much like the one here, but it had a hint of sweetness." He nodded to confirm his thoughts. "Smells aside, I sat there for a while before dozing off and when I woke up, a familiar face was looking at me."
"Your wife?"
"My future wife, she was my childhood friend," he corrected, "We used to have a lot of fun in the past, playing around and doing everything together. I cared so much about her and the most important thing for me was to see her smile. But a horrible fight broke out between our parents. My mother forbade me to see her." He sighed. "Troublesome times, indeed."
I decided to press on. "But you cared so much about her, why didn't you argue with your mother? Why didn't you meet in secret?"
I felt angry at him, but not because of what he did. I felt angry because of something I also didn't do.
"Because...I was scared. I was so scared." He looked away. "I loved her so much, but I felt like I couldn't do anything. I didn't dare deny my mother."
I saw a lot of regret in the man's face. He must have had a hard time sorting out his feelings and I knew exactly how he felt.
"It was stupid of me. There were so many things that I wish I had said back then but I never did. But all of a sudden, on that day, she was there. We laughed together, cried together, we spent hours together, everything was like in the past. But now, it felt even more special. So I told her."

"I told her about my regrets, I told her I about my love for her and how I could never say it. I spilled everything I had cropped up until now. I finally told someone about the feelings that had troubled me for years. I was angry and sad, but also liberated. And the most important thing, the person who heard me say all these things, was the woman related to all those feelings. And do you know what she said?"
He looked at me directly with shining eyes and a smile on his face.
"She said nothing. She stood up, lowered her head to mine and kissed me on the lips. We both remained silent for which felt like ages, but were seconds. And then she said: "We have both waited a long time for this, haven't we?" She blushed slightly, looked away, and then flashed the most beautiful smile I had ever seen."

"So, I thank you." He offered his hand while saying this.
I was flustered when I shook his hand. "Don't thank me! I didn't do anything."
"At least let me thank you for listening to my story. It was a delight to finally talk to you."
"The pleasure was absolutely mine. It was a fantastic story."
We both stared at the river side by side. Some time passed while we silently looked at some ducks fighting over which of them would get the female duck. Then he said:
"Would you like to see the place?"

What he had described fitted perfectly with what I saw. The cherry blossom tree was in full bloom and pink leaves would fly through the air, floating on the softest of winds. Swans were swimming around in a small pond, and a sweet smell filled my head. It was a mesmeric place.
"There you have it."
"It is as beautiful as you said. Wow."
I was stunned. I never knew that a place this beautiful existed and the story that took place right here made it all the more special.
"It is breathtaking, right? And I'll give my spot...no, our spot, to you."
"But why?"
"I found a better place. The time I spent here was also fun, but nowadays I want to spend my time with the one I love."
"I still don't understand."
"Perhaps I'm a bit of a romanticist." He laughed. "Let me explain. I hope you can, one day, meet the one you love right here as well. And perhaps you can find a new man to pass this place onto. It would be fitting for a place like this, don't you think?"
That would be wonderful, I thought. "It would be magical, that's for sure."
"Exactly. It worked for me and my wife; it can't hurt to try."
"I guess not."
"Very well. Then I will take my leave. I had a good time talking to you, and I wish you all the best."
"Thank you very much for everything."
I shook his hand once more, and he left me with a friendly smile and a warm feeling in my heart. I watched him walk away until I couldn't see him past the line of trees, and then I decided to rest against the trunk, just like he had done.

"Who knows, miracles might happen, right?"
I dozed off quickly after I said that.

And then, when I woke up, a familiar face from long ago was looking at me.