**hello! This a lot more different than what I usually post on here! This is based off of one of my assignments for my creative writing class, I extended it a lot more. I am sure this isnt a new concept, but this is my take on this. I hope you all enjoy! and let me know if this is the sort of stuff you’d like to see from me 🙂
David got out of his car and ran across the street, heading towards the coffee shop. This isn’t just any coffee shop, it’s the place where he met the love of his life. I’m already late, fuck. Today is the day, I’ve got this. Shit shit shit, she’s sitting right there. I can’t back down now.
Mary got up from her seat to meet David halfway. They greeted each other with a shy kiss and sat at a table. They talked for a few minutes, ordered drinks, had a lovely time. From the corner of his eyes, he saw her get up. Mary winked at him; it was time. David got up and pulled her up to stand and said, “Mary, we haven’t known each other for too long, but I feel like I have known you my whole life. I hope this isn’t too forward of me,”, he kneels down and watches her approach them, “But, will you marry me?”
“Oh, god! Yes, David!! A million times, yes!” Mary squealed. David slipped the ring onto Mary’s finger.
“David? What is this? Who is she?” he hears from behind him. David gets up and turns around and sees her. “Amy! What are you doing here? I thought you were..oh, never mind! This is Mary, I met her a bit after we broke up and we are in love.”
“David, how could you do this to me? What happened?! I don’t understand! We were doing so well, then all of a sudden you changed. Help me understand, honey..”.
“Amy, what don’t you understand?” He paused for a second, “I stopped loving you! Is that what you wanted to hear?! Move on with your life, I already have. I love Mary, not you”. Amy could not breathe. Move on? How could she possibly move on? It pained her how easily he could tell her to move on. After all the beautiful moments they had created together; the promises that they had meant to keep for each other. Amy did the only thing she could possibly do, she ran away. All David could do in return is watch her disappear around the corner as his heart left with her.
“David, was there no other way? Why couldn’t you tell her the truth?” Mary asked.
David turned around and faced her, “what truth? That I’m dying? Huh, Mary, should I tell her that I have maybe a month tops to live because a massive tumor decided to make a home in my brain? What about also mentioning that not only are my days numbered but as my body is preparing to greet the devil himself down under, I will be losing my memory and everything that makes me the man that she fell in love with. Is that the truth you want me to tell her?!!!… at least this way, Amy will be sad for a while, hopefully even learn to hate me, then she’ll come to her senses, and move on. I love her so much that I am willing to let her go and be happy with someone else who isn’t me. I want her to be able to have everything she ever wanted; a house in the woods with a swing attached to a huge oak, four kids with names all starting with the letter J because that’s her favorite letter and number, and her biggest wish of all… growing old with the man she loves. Knowing her, she would have stayed and endured all of this. My beautiful girl would have never let me go, even after I am dead.” David smiled sadly and looked at the floor, “this is the best that I could do.”
Mary just stared at him until she finally sighed and said, “David, you’re my best friend, and I’ll support you, but this is the stupidest thing you have ever done.”
He cared enough to stay away. It was enough for him to know that even when you love someone, sometimes you do really have to let them go. True love isn’t about us, it’s about the person we love. No matter how much it hurts inside. No matter how much he wanted to go after her and fight it. He did the best thing for both of them. And that was the way that their love story was meant to end.
Anyone who has experienced an unwanted break up will recognize the pain of waking up in the morning and realizing nothing is the same anymore. Still the next morning after the breakup, Amy opened her eyes and saw that the bright future she had painted together with David was washed away by someone pouring a bucket of black paint over it. She lost eleven pounds within two weeks, and it was shameful for a workaholic like her to admit that she had zero motivation to work. She was devastated and tried texting and calling him, but he never picked up. Amy left voicemails crying and desperately asking him what happened. How could someone just all of a sudden stop loving someone?
Eventually, all she felt was numb that then soon turned into anger. She hated him or at least wanted to. He didn’t even have the decency to explain, to give her some form of closure. All she could think about over and over was that moment she saw them at the café She watched the love of her life just 20 ft away, smiling and laughing with another woman; looking into her eyes the same way he once looked into hers. Then to her horror, she saw him bending on one knee and slipping a ring into the ‘other woman’s’ finger.
Amy wasn’t some fragile damsel whose whole life revolves over a man so she did what many women in her place would do, Amy purchased the most popular ex-boyfriend recovery program online. Those break up“experts” made intriguing sales videos that gave her so much hope. They recommended doing “no contact” for at least 30 days. The idea is that over time your ex will forget the negative feelings during the breakup, will start to miss you and hopefully text you to rebuild the relationship.
He didn’t text or call her during the no-contact period. Amy has heard nothing about David since he broke up with her; not about the wedding or anything. His social media has been dead, and his friends blocked her. Amy never got to meet his family since they live overseas, so she’s entirely out of the loop when it comes to David. Something didn’t feel right. Does he hate me that much? She thought to herself.
Days passed, then months until Amy finally started feeling a little like her old self again. She still thought of David and their love, it hurt, but she is slowly learning to move on. Amy reconnected with a friend and decided to go out and have some fun. They met up at a new Korean BBQ place in Korea Town. They ate dinner and caught up with everything that the others missed out on, Amy had a wonderful time. She had a few too many beers because as they were heading out, she bumped into someone, and they both went tumbling down. Amy looked up and saw Mary, David’s fiancé or wife for all she knew.
“Mary..”, Amy was about to continue when she heard a man talk say something shocking to Mary.
“Honey, are you okay? Is our baby okay?” Amy looked up at a man she has never seen before, “Honey?” she asked. Mary didn’t know what to say or do. She sighed and thought, fuck it he should have never done it, to begin with, as she grabbed his hand and got up.
Mary looked at her husband and said, “Greg, this is Amy, an old friend of David’s. Amy this is my husband, Greg.” Understanding came across his face as he looked at Amy.
“Oh, I see you guys have a lot to catch up on. I’ll go get us a table, honey.”
Amy was absolutely confused, looking back and forth between their conversation while still on the ground. She was scared to move in case she fainted. So much was going through her head, and her friends it seemed didn’t quite notice she was missing as they kept walking away. Mary looked down at her as the man she just called husband walked into the restaurant and offered Amy her hand, she hesitantly took it and got up.
“Let’s take a walk, Amy,” Mary said, and Amy followed. Not a single word was spoken for a few minutes, she tried to focus on the sounds of traffic; a horn honking, an engine revving, a motorcycle speeding off. Keeping her breathing under control was proving to be difficult, Amy needs to sit down. Without a word, she beelined towards the nearest bench and sat down. Almost as if everyone around her was aware of their awkward situation, slowly the streets got quieter until you could only hear the cars passing by.
“Amy, there’s something I need to tell you, but I don’t know how,” Amy stared down at the floor watching an ant try to pull a crumb on top of his back,” it’s about David, I don’t know where to start,” Amy said nothing, Mary looked around frantically unsure of what to do.
She told Amy everything. David found out a month before they broke up that he had a malignant tumor in his brain. It was inoperable, and he had maybe a month to live, he took it bad. Amy, at the time, was working on a massive project at work that kept her busy so David was able to calm down before she could notice anything was wrong. He called Mary and told her the news and what his plans were; to keep it from Amy so that she could one day be happy without him. She came over every morning to rehearse what would happen and plan out how to get Amy to the café after he ghosts her for a few days. As Amy listened to Mary speak, she kept staring at that ant who was desperately trying to get that crumb onto his back and failing but trying again and again.
“David died, almost three weeks after you saw us at the café. He got your messages and voicemails, he almost called you several times. Suddenly you stopped, that made it easier for him. He thought you had finally accepted the breakup and had decided to move on. David loved you so much, he didn’t know what else to do,” Mary watched Amy and searched her face for a sign that what she was saying was getting through to her.
“Amy, he left a letter for you. In case you ever found out what we did. Here..” Amy looked up as Mary took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to her, “this is it, my number is also written on a sticky note attached to it. I am so sorry, Amy. He was my best friend, I had to support him even if I didn’t agree with what he was doing.” Mary got up and sadly looked down at Amy and begged, “please read it,” then walked away. Amy stared at the envelope for what felt like forever, she didn’t know how to react. David is dead. He suffered, and she never noticed. He never stopped loving her. David is dead. Dead. Gone. She’ll never see him again. As she opened up the envelope, tears started streaming down her face onto the paper.
Dear Amy,
This is a letter that I never thought I would have to write. To say I have agonized over it is an understatement. I’ve come to it now without having had much sleep for days but with a clear realization of what I must say and do. There was a time when I thought our love would stand the test of time, and nothing would come between us. Little did I know that death had plans in store for me. I will always remember the very first time we met, the very first time my lips touched yours, the very first time you wrapped your arms around me and rested your head on my shoulder, the very first time that you told me that you loved me. I love you, Amy Jacobson, with all my heart. I am so sorry that I couldn’t make your wishes come true. I am so sorry that I was a coward, that I couldn’t tell you the truth. Despite how our love ended, I hope you can one day open your heart up to someone new. To someone who can help you make your wishes come true. I will never have any regrets in my life of loving you, of holding you in my arms of dreaming to be with you forever. You were my first love and my last, thank you. Because of you, for 2 years, 7 months, 2 weeks and 4 days I was able to live happy and free. Just live well.
Love,
David
And with that, Amy tried her hardest to live happy and free, just like David wanted.
Through Michii's Eyes 