Fade
Christopher had everything set for the long journey ahead. As he packed he realized how little things he actually needed where he was going. There were no luxuries allowed, no expensive clothes or more than two pairs of shoes. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t the type of guy that would need any of those items, but it just hit him that if he someday wanted them he couldn’t. He didn’t need to bring any furniture or anything like that. Where he was going everyone would wear and use the same things. He would be going to work and just maybe defend his country because of some crappy excuse or the usual cruelty of vicious politics. Maybe he would become a hero if they went to war, but he really didn’t care about that. All he cared about was the life he was leaving behind.
He had lived far away from home for some time now but going to a foreign country was something intimidating. He wasn’t scared of anything, he had lived such a hard life that he was prepared for anything that came his way. Yet it’s only human to fear the uncertainty the future beholds. The one thing that haunted him was that he was aware of what it meant to leave yet once again. This time he was going further away and he couldn’t talk to any of his family or friends like he was accustomed to. Above all he was aware of the longing he would suffer everyday just to see her face.
When he got to the airport he realized his vacations were now officially over; and now he had to say his sorrowful goodbyes yet once again. From a far he saw the small currents of wind teasing with her hair and tangling it like they always would. He stopped and watched her for a few moments. He remembered what it meant to play with her hair and look into her hazel eyes without thinking of what people might think. They weren’t together anymore, not that they ever really were, but in this case feelings are much stronger than any titles or corporal addictions. He watched her as she sat there just looking ahead to nothing in particular. Her face was clearly distraught and emerging with qualms.
She felt his presence around and decided to look back just in case. She knew he had stood there for a while. It was something that always bothered her, he loved to watch her from a far, and this she found it a bit creepy. He simply felt inspired by the majestic essence of joy and love she always reflected before him. As they approached each other they weren’t sure what to say or even what to do. It was the moment of truth and the opportunity to say anything they had conveniently left out.
She came closer to him and said: “Christopher, you know things will be okay, you have the opportunity of a lifetime. Do you have any idea how many people you will meet? Or even all the parties you’re going to go to? I mean your going to one of the biggest cities in the world! You should take these six months as an experience and a way to grow.”
He looked up and fiercely answered: “Do you even remember why I’m going to Japan? I’m going to train! I’m sick of being far away from home. I want to go back to my island, with all the people that care about me and my life, my true life not this pitiful lonely excuse I try to pass off as one. I’m sick of the United States, and now I get to go to Japan? What in the world am I going to do there? That is not my place, and you know it.”
She held his hand and told him “If you think positively and enjoy this new opportunity that has been laid in front of you wonderful things can happen. You know I want you here with me but you have a duty to comply with. You’ll be back in no time, and your time there will be completely unforgettable. Just remember we will be here waiting for you.”
He looked at her and answered softly “You know what I care about…”
She repeated herself “I will be here waiting for you. Just remember Puerto Rico is not going anywhere and neither am I.”
As the boarding call for his flight was being announced he smiled and looked at her in a way she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
She added “Now hurry you don’t want to miss your flight. Just remember what I said.”
They held each other for a few moments until he let go and simply walked ahead. In his mind he kept forcefully making himself not look back. He knew if he even tried to he would have the sudden urge to stay and never depart. She walked away as well and thought of all the things she had left unsaid. She usually said everything that was in her mind but she had matured because of that. Her big mouth had gotten her into too much trouble already and she decided to keep it shut this time. She did not want to risk loosing him as a friend but she had the sudden desire to pour her soul out to him right then and there.
Her mentality was simple; she just thought she should have said something before he left. How would she reach him when he was on the other side of the world? If she asked him to stay with her; would he? Yet she knew with his job came obligation and responsibility. She simply could not bear to ask him to stay or even think about putting him on that position. She looked back and watched him being torn away from her yet once again. She kept on watching him until he slowly faded into the background.
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