He Won't Leave Me

Another short story for LOGOS class,


“What do you mean?” I breathed; my voice was raspy from withheld tears and desperation. We’ve been through this time after heart wrenching time and the words I know he will utter are imprinted forever in my mind.
“I never want to see you again.” The cold words struck immediately, hitting just as hard as the first time, a bolt of lightning shooting through my flesh and bone to my soul. I watched as he turned and walked past as if he hadn’t just incinerated my very being. The flood raging behind the dam of my eyelids threatened to run over and I found that I had neither the strength nor the desire to hold it back any longer. I felt the bitter, salty tears slide down my face, slowly extinguishing the inferno in my chest.
Innumerable sobs wracked my body and when I finally opened my eyes I found that I was staring at a black screen, credits rolling by quickly.
“What are you doing?” I jumped at the sudden question, blinking furiously when the blinding lights snapped on.
I rushed to wipe away all traces of dampness from my cheeks, which were burning a bright crimson now that I had been caught.
“I don’t understand why you even watch that movie; all it does is make you cry.” My mother walked into the room, her tone a mixture of amusement and mild curiosity.
“I don’t know, I guess I keep hoping that just once he won’t leave her.” My voice cracks, a lit match striking the tinder of my heart, “A happy ending.”
She looks at me and sees through the façade, hears the words that I truly mean, the words I cannot bring myself to give life to. Without hesitating, she wraps her arms around my huddled form and readies herself to wait out the long storm ahead.
Because, she knows, as any woman knows, tears may not heal a broken heart, but they ease the soul.