As he sat by himself in the quiet little cafe, the
man looked out the window, watching the sun sink slowly towards
the skyline; watching and waiting. Gazing out upon the street,
he scanned the scenery with a wandering, yet hopeful manner. Did
she remember their promise, would she come?
Still watching out the window, the pleasant surroundings
of the cafe helped to ease his mind, as his thoughts turned back
to the night they'd first met. It had been in that same cafe,
a chance meeting of two people, he relaxing after work, she stopping
in for a quiet cup of coffee before returning to school for a
late night's work on a project.
They'd met, and shared conversation over the steaming
aroma of their java, the warmth of the little cafe working its
magic on them. What had started out as a simple meeting had grown
into something much more than that. They'd talked for over an
hour, when finally she had to leave and he ended up walking with
her to the university. The following night they met again.
From there things grew quickly, their warm friendship
blooming into a passionate romance. As the days grew longer into
summer, they spent many hours together, lost in the bliss of their
relationship. It had been wonderful being with her, as if for
the first time he was really in love, having found someone so
absolutely perfect, their souls fitting each other like a long-lost
and nearly forgotten favorite pair of gloves.
That summer had been the best in his life, they'd
been so happy together, but it had all come apart that fateful
day at the beginning of August. They'd gone once again to their
favorite cafe, and it was there where she'd broken the news to
him. It came out with both exuberance and underlying reservations.
She'd been extremely lucky to have been awarded a special grant
to allow her to study abroad, one that meant a lot for her education.
She'd originally applied for the grant several months
before and had not received it, but due to unexpected circumstances,
the original recipient had canceled; with a little luck and some
help from one of her professors, she'd been surprised to find
herself faced with an opportunity of a lifetime.
Obviously she was excited, and he too was genuinely
exited to for her, but they both knew what this meant for the
two of them. While she now had free passage and support to go
overseas, he was held to his job which he very much enjoyed, and
at that time it had not been possible for him to relocate with
her. They had talked it over at length, the depth of their relationship
and their passion making it very difficult on both of them. But
in the end, there was really no question to it, she had to go
and realize her dreams, and neither of them would allow themselves
to hold her back.
Their last few weeks together had been a flurry of
emotions, consuming each other as they tried to hold on to the
remaining days that slipped from them like grains of sand running
down an hourglass. In the end they'd promised, that no matter
what happened in the year they were apart, they would meet once
again at their cafe on her return, and find out where they stood.
That had been a year ago, and tonight it was time
for that fateful meeting. As he watched the sun gently kiss the
horizon, casting an orange glow across the sky, reflecting its
radiance upon the panes of glass of the buildings surrounding
him, he wondered once again if she would come.
Thinking back to that fall, his eyes watered slightly.
After their tearful separation, he'd been miserable, more lonely
than he could ever remember being in his entire life; it was as
if a vital part of him had be ripped away, leaving an aching hole
in its absence. They'd written long letters to one another, even
been able to talk regularly on the phone, and while it was so
wonderful to hear from her, it only ebbed the pain momentarily.
Sooner or later he was left alone once again.
As the days had grown shorter and autumn had crept
into winter, they had slowly grown apart, their communications
had begun to ease off, like the hours of daylight becoming steadily
shorter and more sparse. Perhaps it was just the distance between
them, perhaps it was the way their lives had begun to diverge
from the path they had once followed together. Maybe it was just
easier to try and forget than having to dredge up those feelings
each time they were reminded of each other's absence. Whatever
it was, they had both been to blame, and as the cold weather of
season stole over the land, the cold realization that the relationship
was slipping from their grasps stole into his soul.
Then as the winter months had dragged on they had
lost touch completely, and he had received no further word from
her. What had happened, why had she forsaken him like that...
like everyone else? As the last glimmer of the sun's rays slipped
beneath the horizon, he was forced to remember it all. Memories
broke in upon him, shattering the protective haze of his denial.
At once he could not avoid the deluge of thoughts
and remembrances, as he recounted the cold drama that had played
out before his eyes in the world around him. He remembered once
again how mankind's time had run out so quickly, like a broken
clock, racing out a downward spiral into oblivion. It had started
with a series of a few random and seemingly-unconnected, unexplained
deaths, but had quickly escalated into a mounting terror as the
unknown plague had swarmed over the world, devouring all souls
in its path, save for him, who in its cruel irony had left unscathed
to wander the desolate streets alone.
With the daylight quickly fading, he stared out the
window of the dark tomb of the abandoned cafe, watching the dead
and empty city through burning eyes. The walls of glass of the
deserted buildings no longer shimmered with their false radiance,
but were cold and empty tombstones, useless monuments to a departed
world. As he stared into the encroaching darkness, sobbing at
the last vestiges of the delusions which had comforted him, he
realized, with an absolute certainty tearing at his soul, that
she would not be coming back... nobody would.
Copyright 1996, Will A. Sanborn - was1@shore.net