Farewell

FAREWELL

Standing at the crossroads, the looming specter of separation hung heavy in the air, enveloping them in a suffocating embrace of almost tangible tension. Each step forward felt like a reluctant concession to fate, an acknowledgment of the irreversible divergence of their paths. Yet, they walked together, their strides hesitant, as if defying the relentless march of time.

How they wished for time to halt, to immortalize this fleeting moment of togetherness. But reality beckoned, pulling them apart with an unyielding force. His path stretched ahead, promising adventure and uncertainty, while hers veered to the left, leading back to familiar haunts and cherished memories. At this pivotal juncture of their lives, they stood, their gazes evading yet magnetically drawn to each other, etching the contours of their faces into memory.

Did they truly have to part ways? The question lingered unanswered as he wrestled silently with his decision. Was there no alternative? He convinced himself otherwise, though a part of him yearned for her to utter a single word, to challenge his resolve and reshape their destiny.

"It is time," he finally uttered, his voice foreign to his own ears, laden with a weight of finality that he could scarcely bear.

- Do you really have to go? - she asked in a soft voice that caressed his face like an early morning breeze - There are other options besides leaving.

He turned his gaze somewhere to the side as if something caught his attention. He felt pressure build up in his chest, he had the feeling that his heart would explode from the crazy rhythm he was beating. Why does it have to be so difficult?

“You are not answering?” she said sadly as the truth finally revealed herself to her. “Don’t want to hurt my feelings?”

He looked at her with the most tender look he managed to pull out of the flood of emotions that overwhelmed him. He wanted to shout out of anger, to break something. These were all desires that grew in him day by day, threatening to destroy him completely from the inside.

His feelings for her were both a blessing and a curse at the same time.

Life has already touched him; he doesn't have to drag her with him.

“I would never hurt your feelings.” he smiled at her pulling the whole act with enormous force. She will never know how hard was for him to say those words. “If I never leave, then how could I come back?”

Her response was a radiant smile, bittersweet in its beauty, piercing his heart with longing. How he yearned for more, for her to defy the constraints of time and space with a single word. "Don't be a stranger," she implored, her words a plea, a prayer, a lifeline amidst their parting.

He wanted to promise her eternity, to vow that their bond would transcend the chasm of their separation. Instead, he enveloped her in a hug, a desperate embrace that spoke volumes of unspoken truths, of dreams and desires left unvoiced. A pair of tears appeared but he didn’t care. She couldn’t see them, so he let them go, crying through the sadness and loneliness.

In that fleeting moment, he wished to freeze time, to bask in the warmth of her embrace, to savor the symphony of their entwined heartbeats. But even the most fervent embrace must yield to the relentless march of time. Time doesn’t wait for anyone.

As they reluctantly withdrew from each other's embrace, unspoken words hung heavy in the air, a silent requiem for what could have been. With a heavy heart, he shouldered his burden and offered her a parting smile, the last vestige of their shared intimacy.

"Goodbye, little one," he whispered, his voice tinged with an ache he could scarcely contain, before turning away, the weight of her gaze searing into his retreating form. His heart was like a ticking bomb, like a volcano that was going to erupt, and he prayed that she was not standing there, watching him leave.

Why is it so difficult for him to say what everyone knows? It's as if he's condemning himself to suffering, as if he's denying himself moments of happiness. Why is he constantly afraid of himself. Why can’t he stop being afraid.

It seems that sometimes he is his own worst enemy.

He resisted the urge to look back, to seek solace in the echo of her presence. To turn back would be to unravel the fragile threads of his resolve, to forsake the journey of self-discovery that beckoned him onward.

But he couldn't help but look at her one more time. He stopped and turned around.

The intersection gaped empty. She wasn't there.

- Maybe that's the best! - he said out loud and continued his way with new strength.

There was no going back, she knew it, he felt it. If by any chance she had stayed in place, he would have stayed. He wouldn't have the strength to go on without her. He wouldn't even want that. He felt like she made a decision for both of them that was probably a smart one. Decisions that will be very hard for him to make. She was stronger than him in many ways, but only because he had a soft place for her.

An open road was waiting for him, a new life was waiting for him, to which he rushed, leaving his old life behind. No one knew how much it meant to him, nor did he let anyone know. He was just a restless leaf sliding down the river. But he wasn’t afraid of the waves that lay before him, they were his old friends. He’s been riding them since birth, there was nothing to fear. In that moment he understands what life really is. The endless circle of making choices without knowing what exactly is that you choose.

Many years have passed since the day he said goodbye to her, but he hasn't forgotten that moment. Even though he sees her every day, he says goodbye to her again every day.

It will be that he never came back.