She did it. She finally did it. Good girl, Victor cheered to himself with a
smile while reading her biography page.
He stumbled upon it browsing the internet. He remembered when they were together that
she often spoke of her various writing projects, and even shared one of her
stories with him – a love story she had been in the middle of. He always believed in her talent, even when
she didn’t. Thinking about her brought
back bittersweet memories. She had
entered his life at a time when he longed for much needed companionship. His wife had lost interest in him a while
before, and so he hung on for the same reasons many spouses do in a frozen
marriage – their two children whom he adored.
He saw her around at the
office building where he worked, but she was in a different department. It wasn’t until the “Fun and Games”
competition hosted by the company for their employees that they would finally
meet, and her team came out on top.
Afterwards, most everyone had gone out for drinks to celebrate and
unwind, but it was with her that he spent most of the afternoon talking
to. The next day they had lunch
together, away from the office of course, and over time something special had
developed, even though she was also married.
She had become the centre of his world and he still held a special place
in his soul for her; resigning himself to the fact that he probably always
would.
They had such plans (At
least he did) for a future together,
but then she said she couldn’t bring herself to leave her marriage; she still
loved her husband and they agreed to work it out. The painful memory opened the wound a little,
as he remembered that after she told him this, how he couldn’t bear her touch
when she reached out to hug him as a sort of comfort. He had turned his back, but not his heart.
As his days wore on, and
his nights even longer, it was all he could do to not think of her. Time eventually restored him though, and soon
he made a conscious effort to throw himself into his work, his friends; even
remarrying. Still, every once in a while
thoughts of her crept in, and like a door that wouldn’t quite close, he just
could not shut out the memories of her laughter, her sparkling smile and her
essence. In time however, he understood
where she was coming from; she did what she felt was right for her.
He long ago gave up the
fantasy of them getting back together.
Now here she was staring back at him from his screen, a little older,
but still beautiful. He knew he should
click off and find something else to focus on, but curiosity compelled him to
read on. About halfway down the page, he
sat up straighter to make sure he read the words right. As part of an independent author’s event, she
was scheduled to discuss her short story collection and signing copies at the
library downtown. No way would he let such a golden opportunity pass by. He thought he should at least have read some
of the stories before seeing her and skims the summaries of each one until one
holds his attention – a love story.
As he reads, it seems
like their story. Except for some small
changes she kept their time together a little too real. Was she also still thinking of what was, so
much so that she had to channel it into a story as a keepsake? Did she, like
her main character, still feel something?
These were the questions he pondered two weeks later even as he stood in
line for her table. Nervous excitement
took hold of him as he neared the top of the line protectively clutching the
printed pagers of her story.
He was so close now –
just one person ahead of him – and then he saw –
A man come over and put
an arm around her, and then, a kiss on top of her head. This had to be her husband; after all, her
biography said she was married. But,
Victor had not anticipated him being there.
This did not fit in with his plans at all. Finally, he is next in line, but by then his
heart had already plummeted to the floor and now lay shattered at his feet; his
courage following suit – leaving him standing there like a lone bare tree in
the wind. He suddenly felt his feet
moving, carrying him away from the crowd.
Back in the familiar
comfort of home, sitting on the couch, while hearing his sweet wife singing to
herself in the kitchen, he was certain he made the right decision.
