[Burning Inside]: 233.Short Stories.Farewell

I stood there behind my door, as my long time friend, came to my door. Her name was Alyson, I had loved her for years but she knew nothing of this, and would probably have been the best if she didn’t know, as she was happy with some other guy. It seemed to be a new one every few weeks. It was odd, the one that she was with the longest still to this date, was the one that I had despised the most, but that may be expected with how much I loved her, and still do.

As Alyson went to knock on the door I saw her face in the window on my door, she was looking down and did not see me standing there. Before her fist could even touch the door I had opened it. She seemed to slightly fall forward but caught herself, before I would have to catch her.

“Hello Alyson” the words slipped off of my tongue before I even thought about them but it was more of an instant thing with me by now.

Then I saw it, she was upset, something had happened, something big, she didn’t even have to say a word, she was slightly shaking and I could almost have sworn I had heard a slight sniffle come from her. “What’s wrong Alyson?”

Slowly she fell forward my arms were already waiting for her to fall into as she did. Within seconds after falling into my arms she moved her own arms up so that her hands were sitting on my shoulders. She was rather close to my size, but had fallen over so it took nearly half of her arm to get up to my shoulder.

Without saying a word, she slowly came up from a slouch to standing up with her arms wrapped around my neck.

“What has happened Alyson?” I said with utter confusion in my voice
A tear ran down to her chin, “I….We, broke up…” She seemed to not want to continue with the sentence at that time.

From hearing her say those words, I wanted to be filled with joy, but just from her being sad had made me overly depressed. I had always felt the way that she was even if I wanted to feel otherwise, I didn’t even really have a choice in the matter.

Slowly I rubbed her back as my other hand sat on the back of her head, “I’m sure everything will be fine, you will find someone that is perfect for you” I didn’t know what else to say, it was the most sincere thing I could think of at that current situation.

Tears fell now at a more rapid pace then before. Her shirt was slowly becoming wet as seconds passed. “There….There’s something else to” Just from hearing those words uttered from her mouth I knew that it wasn’t good, worse then the prior news.

I stood there in complete silence waiting to hear what she had to say, she knew this was the way that I had asked her what it was, it had always been that way.

“I, I’m moving, to Australia for work, I’ll be there for three years.” The tears stopped while she had said that, but began immediately after once she had finished speaking.

Still standing there I rubbed her back at a slower rate. I was baffled; I had no idea what to say. The words that crept out of her mouth and stopped her tears, had managed to not only stop my heart, but break it at the same time. I had never been away from Alyson for more then a month, now unless I had earned the money I wouldn’t see her for three years, and with my low paying job, it would take me what would seem like an eternity to get enough money to go see her.

“Lucas are you alright?” Her mouth shaking as she spoke.
“…to be completely honest, no, but this is for you and for you’re job, you should go. I will come see you as soon as I can” I said what I said, as I lied from my teeth, I wasn’t alright, but I didn’t want to see her go.

A slight smile came across Alyson’s face as it immediately was exchanged with a frown. It was as though what I had said would determine what she would do. If that was true, then I should have said otherwise, I should have told her the truth.

Quickly she turned around as her one arm twisted to her right side, her left arm slowly ran down my own arm. As her hand reached mine I grabbed it, I didn’t want to let go, I have lost her at a relationship level for ten long years, I was about to lose her period for three years.

As my hand grasped her I pulled her back towards me, her body came willingly as her feet followed in unison.

Directly as she was close to me once again, my left arm wrapped around to her back, I noticed that she was not crying anymore, the tears were gone but, you could still see that she was just crying.

Slowly and calmly I moved forward and I pulled her body even closer to mine, although her body did not move with ease, her head came closer to mine as I did the same.

Our lips locked in the centre as we stood in the doorway of my house. Slowly I deepened the kiss, as to my surprise she did the same thing right after I did.

Then without warning she stopped it all together, as she broke free of my arm, and took her hand back. Slowly backing up I saw a smile come to her face, probably one of the most meaning smiles I had seen in a long time from her. But at the same time another tear ran down her face.

Wiping the tear away, she turned around and ran away, back to her car. She was going to Australia, it may have been my fault may not have been but she was going either way, and there was nothing I could do to stop it now.

I heard the car door slam and the engine start up, I stood there stupefied as I saw the car drive away.

A drop of water hit the ground in front of me, I didn’t even bother to look up too see if it was raining, I was crying now. I had lost the only person I truly cared for in all of my life. It would be forever before I would see her again, and to wait even a day seems like an eternity when I am waiting to see her.

As Alyson reached her house, she was smiling once again, not because she would not see Lucas for a long time, but because she finally realised how much she had loved him. Lucas stood in his doorway alone for a while crying, but his face was filled with glee. He had now known that she had cared for him to.

Starting the next day Lucas began to compile all of his extra change for a trip to Australia.


© Steven Stewart 2006