Image taken by me and edited using Canva*
She sat on their favorite bench and looked at the trees as the leaves fell. Hard to believe it had been almost 3 years since she'd been here last.
She remembered when she was younger and she used to spend her afternoons here playing hide and seek, now she felt like a visitor.
A particularly orange leaf, twirled and landed on her lap. She picked it up. Dried and cracked, 'It could signify the end of life and beginning of a new one.' She chuckled at that.
"That's a rather poetic way to go about it." She said with a hoarse voice as she thought about it again.
She had been sending messages and trying to call but had gotten no replies nor answers.
She eventually did meet him in the mall, working at the cafe, completely by chance. She decided to go confront him about his attitude.
She shuddered as the memory went through her mind;
"John? Why aren't you answering my texts."
He looked around and she watched as his face transitioned from surprise, to shock, to disgust, to anger.
"Amber, we're done, finito.. Please leave me." He said with his head in his hands
"But John, I think we can wor-"
"Leave Amber." He cut me off, He's eyes clenched.
I should have left then, but No!! My stupid self wanted to try my luck, thinking my love would prevail.
After how clear he was.
I tried once again..
"John... Pleas-"
"Don't you dare 'Please' me Amber. This is what you always do. You break and when what's broken is trying to heal, you come back to break it up again." He took a breath.
"Well not today Amber. Before you break me, either you leave or I leave."
I couldn't believe that this was the same timid boy who was too shy to even kiss me in the Cinema. Yet here he is, threatening to leave his job just to get away from me.
"Joh-" I began
"Leave." He countered
"But I" I tried again
"Leave!!" He replied again
"Why don't you-"
"Goodbye." He removed his overalls and walked into the mall crowd, leaving me dumbfounded in the cafe.
Now that I remember it again, he didn't answer a customer's order. My ever meticulous John, left a customer unsatisfied.
I tried to call him once again and again there was no answer.
I don't think I can blame him though, indeed I'm the one in the wrong here.
I remembered the one message that he did read.
Please can we just meet. Let me help clear all your doubts. I'll be at the bench on 7th street tomorrow.
It was sent yesterday afternoon, no reply yet. I've been on this bench for more than 4 hours now.
I'd lost all hope that he was coming. Standing up to leave and then I saw him walking down the road.
His scarf wrapped around his neck with his big black coat made him look bigger. Maybe he was bigger as he had left me.
It's good to know that my absence had a great impact on his physique.
He sat down next to me and looked at the trees too. We sat there in silence for more than 10 mins.
I was too nervous to say anything and he seemed too calm to say anything.
Suddenly, he breathed in and made to get up.
"John I.." He stopped me by showing me the palm of his hands.
He got up and squatted in front of me, holding my knees and looking into my eyes.
He pulled the scarf covering his mouth down, showing a beard that I didn't know him to have.
"I'm sorry for the way I acted, Amber. I guess I was just so angry and I couldn't understand why you would do such a thing."
'Wait...wait...wait... This wasn't how it was meant to go.' I screamed in my mind.
'Why is he the one apologizing?'
"So you're not angry anymore?" I asked tentatively.
"Not really." He answered with a sigh.
"I guess why I was angry then was because I was still in love with you." He said standing up.
That was a low blow that I took straight to my kidney.
He stood looking at the tree and caught another leaf floating in the wind.
"Remember how I was screaming at you to leave? About 2 months ago."
I didn't react although I was thinking about that just 3 minutes ago.
"Well now I've realized that I'm the one that's meant to leave, not you."
"Where're you going?" I asked
"Hmmm. I don't know, wherever my spirit leads I guess." He replied, still studying the leaf.
"Do you know why they call these leaves?" He asked
I shook my head.
"They're called leaves because they leave the tree to make way for more..." He twirled the leaf again.
"So in a sense I'm the leaf and you're the tree. Amber, I have to leave."
I shook my head, tears feeling up my eyes. I couldn't believe how this meeting was going. It wasn't meant to be like this.
He hugged me and I held him tight for dear life.
"Amber... It's time to let me go..."
"I won't.... I can't...." I said, hugging him tighter
"You can and you must. For as you already know, I'm already gone."
He dematerialized and was left as just a shimmer....
"My time is almost up Amber.. You have to say the words... Please..."
How could he tell me please, this would hurt me more than it hurts him for he's already dead.
With a heavy heart I said the words;
John, I release you from your bonds.
He sighed and burst into silver dust. A wind blew him and the last of the trees leaves away, leaving the tree bare. That's just how I felt at the moment. I looked at the remaining orange leaf on my hand, and I blew it away so it could join its brothers.