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Broken hearts -1
"It doesn't work the way we expect it to work."
We were 2 strangers sitting at a distance from the main camping ground. I was there for some much-needed solitude while the other campers were having a bonfire and some fun time. I didn't feel her presence for some time until I smell a cigarette and even then I ignored her but suddenly, she stood up, took her clothes off, and walked into the Ganga's stream flowing a few inches away from us until she reached the near to the middle of the stream. She set into the water submerging herself. Seconds later, a silhouette emerged and she walked out of the water. She dressed up and set on a boulder near the river stream. She took out another cigarette. I got up and walked to her to borrow one if she had any more. Once I reached the boulder, I saw her face.
She had expressions that I was very familiar with, so instead of asking to borrow a cigarette, I said, "It rarely works as we expect it to work."
She looked at me confused.
"Here take this.", I offered her beer. She waited for a few seconds and then accepted it.
I set on the boulder opposite her. She was still silent but she did offer me a cigarette.
"I come here twice a year for camping. I like the sound of nothing. I like solitude even if it's for short time", I tried to initiate a conversation.
She did not respond, just kept looking in the camp's direction. I waited and waited. We drank the bottle we had and seeing her disinterest in a convention, I got up to leave.
"It sucks. You know.", she finally responded to my first statement. I set back and opened another beer for her and myself.
"I do." I agreed.
"When they leave, you believe that they will not find anyone better than you, or they will realize your worth once you are gone and will come back to you or the karma will get to them for what they have done to you but u wait and wait. nothing happens.", she spoke her heart out.
"They always find someone better than you. They move on and they forget your existence. What all you thought you were to them means nothing and you find that the only person burning is you when they are happy." I added.
"It kills you little by little." She completed the train rack of emotions coming out of us. Her face was overtaken by grief and anger while I was calm.
"You have been there. Where I am right now. How did you get through this?" she fished for tips from a survivor.
"Acceptance". I accepted that the world is unfair. I accepted that the pain and burning, you are right now in are never going to fade. You have to live with it. You can try to numb it with cold water but that doesn't work at all. Believe me, I tried. It only gives you a fever and a cold but not relief from the pain." I smiled and let her in on my secret.
" You saw that. Didn't you?", she smiled and asked a rhetorical question.
"Ahh, So she smiles,". I chuckled and she laughed.
"Ohhh, so she laughs too." I playfully pretended to be surprised.
"Yaa, I do.", I am not a pessimist." She spoke smiling.
I smiled too and for a short while it lighten the mood.
"So, you are not through yet. Will I ever be through?", her face dimmed.
"Well. I am not but I am not sure about you. One day, you may be able to do something I couldn't. You may be able to break this cycle of constant torment. One day, you may set yourself free and let go of the past as he has done but until then you have to live with the pain, you have to keep on trying to get past your past." I told her the ugly truth.
We fell silent. The only noises were of the jungle around us and the crickets. I think we ran out of things to say to each other. Other than knowing the hints of having a similar story, we knew nothing about each other. We talked about nothing else. 2 strangers who bonded over a similar agony went back to being strangers again. We turned our faces away from each other.
She resumed looking in the direction of the tents where her past was enjoying his present and I laid on the boulder staring at the starry sky.
To be continued.....
#lovestory #pain #brokenheart #shortstory
© summerof2000
We were 2 strangers sitting at a distance from the main camping ground. I was there for some much-needed solitude while the other campers were having a bonfire and some fun time. I didn't feel her presence for some time until I smell a cigarette and even then I ignored her but suddenly, she stood up, took her clothes off, and walked into the Ganga's stream flowing a few inches away from us until she reached the near to the middle of the stream. She set into the water submerging herself. Seconds later, a silhouette emerged and she walked out of the water. She dressed up and set on a boulder near the river stream. She took out another cigarette. I got up and walked to her to borrow one if she had any more. Once I reached the boulder, I saw her face.
She had expressions that I was very familiar with, so instead of asking to borrow a cigarette, I said, "It rarely works as we expect it to work."
She looked at me confused.
"Here take this.", I offered her beer. She waited for a few seconds and then accepted it.
I set on the boulder opposite her. She was still silent but she did offer me a cigarette.
"I come here twice a year for camping. I like the sound of nothing. I like solitude even if it's for short time", I tried to initiate a conversation.
She did not respond, just kept looking in the camp's direction. I waited and waited. We drank the bottle we had and seeing her disinterest in a convention, I got up to leave.
"It sucks. You know.", she finally responded to my first statement. I set back and opened another beer for her and myself.
"I do." I agreed.
"When they leave, you believe that they will not find anyone better than you, or they will realize your worth once you are gone and will come back to you or the karma will get to them for what they have done to you but u wait and wait. nothing happens.", she spoke her heart out.
"They always find someone better than you. They move on and they forget your existence. What all you thought you were to them means nothing and you find that the only person burning is you when they are happy." I added.
"It kills you little by little." She completed the train rack of emotions coming out of us. Her face was overtaken by grief and anger while I was calm.
"You have been there. Where I am right now. How did you get through this?" she fished for tips from a survivor.
"Acceptance". I accepted that the world is unfair. I accepted that the pain and burning, you are right now in are never going to fade. You have to live with it. You can try to numb it with cold water but that doesn't work at all. Believe me, I tried. It only gives you a fever and a cold but not relief from the pain." I smiled and let her in on my secret.
" You saw that. Didn't you?", she smiled and asked a rhetorical question.
"Ahh, So she smiles,". I chuckled and she laughed.
"Ohhh, so she laughs too." I playfully pretended to be surprised.
"Yaa, I do.", I am not a pessimist." She spoke smiling.
I smiled too and for a short while it lighten the mood.
"So, you are not through yet. Will I ever be through?", her face dimmed.
"Well. I am not but I am not sure about you. One day, you may be able to do something I couldn't. You may be able to break this cycle of constant torment. One day, you may set yourself free and let go of the past as he has done but until then you have to live with the pain, you have to keep on trying to get past your past." I told her the ugly truth.
We fell silent. The only noises were of the jungle around us and the crickets. I think we ran out of things to say to each other. Other than knowing the hints of having a similar story, we knew nothing about each other. We talked about nothing else. 2 strangers who bonded over a similar agony went back to being strangers again. We turned our faces away from each other.
She resumed looking in the direction of the tents where her past was enjoying his present and I laid on the boulder staring at the starry sky.
To be continued.....
#lovestory #pain #brokenheart #shortstory
© summerof2000
