Only the Lonely

"It must be tough being alone."

I hear that a lot.

I don't know. I'm not alone. Not really.

Loneliness is always there. Never leaves my side.

There's a cure to being alone. Just go where people are. If they're your friends, that's great. If it's people who know you and like your company, that's good. But even if it's people you don't know, they're people. Doing people things. Talking. Shopping, Eating. Walking Complaining. Sitting. Laughing. Crying. 24 hours a day, you can be around people if you want.

But loneliness is the companion who never leaves. Even when you're with people, loneliness is there, too. He may be quiet for a while, but he doesn't go away. In the lull of the conversation, loneliness reminds you that when this ends, it'll be the two of you. He hitches an eyebrow to let you know that he's patient. He's waiting for the moment when it's just you and him again.

Loneliness isn't boisterous. He likes to whisper. "This is the way it's always going to be," he murmurs. "Just us," he sighs.

I wish that loneliness would get tired of me and find other friends. But he brought a lot of baggage with him. Looks like he's moved in to stay.