Gone like the Rain

Gone Like the Rain (pt. 2)

Seo Hwa Eun, I thought as I stood next to her. I closed my eyes, reaching my hand out to touch the rain. It felt like it had been an eternity since I last felt the fresh rain soaking into my skin.

Taking a deep breath, I could feel each pristine drop of water falling from the sky. It was particularly wet and cold yet it felt gentle-- almost like the rain was comforting me. I took a deep breath and felt the brisk air fill my lungs.

I turned to face her, our eyes locking, noticing that she immediately turned her head away in embarrassment. I sighed and smiled, wiping my tear-filled face. Ah. I'm crying. I thought that over time, my feelings for her would leave, but as time passed by, I found myself missing her even more.

I don't know what came over me as I turned and started walking into the convenience store. I went straight to aisle 7. Aisle 7, I thought. Why am I at aisle 7? My feet stopped moving as I was face to face with a freezer filled with ice cream.

I laughed to myself, took a strawberry popsicle, and paid for it.

Outside, the rain was still pouring, and the girl sat there in admiration, not moving a muscle. I ripped open the wrapper of the ice cream, separated it by gripping onto the two popsicle sticks at the bottom, and gave the bigger piece to the girl.

"Sorry," she began.

"No take it," I said. "It's too much for me."

☂

"Thank you," I said, taking the ice cream bar from him and smiling gently. As I savored it, the memories hit me.

"Give me the bigger piece Ji Hyun," the young girl argued, trying to reach for the popsicle in the boy's hand.

"I paid for it," the boy teased, pulling the ice cream away. "I get the bigger one."

The girl began to pout and walk faster.

"Who am I kidding?" the boy ran up to her. "It's too much for me."

"No, I don't want it," the girl scoffed, running off.

"HWA EUN," the boy hollered, running after her and shoving the other half of the popsicle in her mouth.

"STO--...Ooh, it's strawberry," the girl sucked on the pop, smiling. She turned to the boy, confused."But you hate this flavor."

"But you like strawberry," he said, chomping on the stick.

I found myself tearing up, and as I tried to blink back my tears, I found myself exploring another distant memory of mine.

"I loved him you know," I said to the psychiatrist who was taking notes. "I loved everything about him."

"And he just disappeared? Like that?" the psychiatrist said smacking her gum.

"He wouldn't just leave like that. Something must have come up," I said sighing.

"I don't know kid, he sounds like the typical playboy, but please, share, go on, how did you meet him."