“Why would she want to meet here?” he thought.
It was a gray day, it looked as if the heavens were about to unload their heavy load of
water. It was only 5:00 p.m., but it looked like 5:00 a.m.
He reached over and opened the waist-high gate from the inside. The gate slowly
opened with that kind of creak you hear only in the movies. The fake gravel crushed under his
hiking boots. He slowly walked around, just waiting for someone to jump out and scare him. But
there was nothing, only distant thunder. He took a seat on one of the tire swings. It was starting to
drizzle now.
“It’s really been a long time, hasn’t it?” she said to him.
His head bolted to the source of the voice. Thunder crashed. There she was. He got up
and half-smiled at her. She didn’t return the favor. Instead, she sat down on a swing. She swung
back and forth with a childish look on her face, in a way that made him feel like he was only a
bystander witnessing her movements.
It was no matter to him. He still had his eye on her, even though she barely looked at him
now. He sat down on the swing again, still looking at her in amazement. “you look really different
now.”
“I’ll be nice and take that as a compliment.” She continued to swing.
Her sarcastic tone of voice made memories come alive. “Do you remember the first time
we came here?”
“Yeah, I remember....” She stopped swinging and looked down at the ground. A smile
grew across her face. “I was still taller than you then...” She kicked around some of the gravel as
the wind gently blew her light brown hair away from her eyes, revealing their deep beauty. He
noticed. It provoked memories.
“I remember I just told you about my latest bike accident, and you were disgusted when I
showed you my knee.” He said with a light laugh. He was relieved to hear her laugh too. It didn’t
last.
There was an uneasy pause, and her face grew solemn. “Yeah....but we said something
then. Something important. It’s the reason why I called you back here. Do you remember?”
He strained his mind, but couldn’t remember.
“We promised we’d be--” she was interrupted.
“....friends forever,” He said, fading off in the end, realizing exactly what he just said.
“Why didn’t you keep that promise? Why’d you leave me like that?” Her voice was a
mixture of emotions. None of them were positive.
“Look, that was when we were younger. We were different back then, back when-”
“It wasn’t a crime to be seen with me? When you could still talk to me and not have to
tease me? A better time? Why?” This time her voice was clearly angry.
He hesitated to answer and looked up into the sky. The lightning was more intense now.
A rush of water poured down his face.
The same was for her. But she didn’t know if they were tears or if they were raindrops.
There was a thousand sounds going on. Thunder rolled, lightning crashed, and the rain hit
the pavement and the gravel hard. Yet, to them, all there was was silence.
During those few moments of dead silence, they never saw each other’s face. Maybe if
they did, they would have done something different, they would have realized the pain each felt.
But they never saw each others’ faces. She never saw the strain in his eyes. He never saw the tears
pouring out of her eyes. If they had, someone would have said something sooner, something better.
Who knows what exactly went on in their heads? They sat there for a half an hour like this, in the
pouring rain. Someone had to break the silence.
He did. Maybe not with the best words, but he did. “I.....I was not me.”
She took a moment to breathe. “What?” she said, tasting the salty tears.
“That wasn’t me.”
“Which one? The one that treated me like a friend? You mean that one was fake?” Her
crying was now evident to him.
“No, the one that treated you like....like a monster. I was a dick to you. I ignored you.
You’re right. And for that I’m sorry.” He turned to face her. Now they saw the pain. Now they
saw the hurt in each other’s eyes. He hugged her. “Never again,” he whispered into her ear.
“Promise?” She spurted through the tears.
“Promise. This time I’ll keep it.” He kissed her on the forehead.
There was no guarantee for this promise, but she had to take it to heart. For every promise
in this world requires some level of trust, some higher than others.
She smiled at him once again.