And You Let Her Go √

Part One

"There was nothing to talk about anymore. The only thing was to go."

Jack Kerouac

***

With my bag hanging off my shoulder and my arms crossed and resting against my chest, I stared at my reflection through the airport window; which overlooked the tarmac and large international planes. I smiled to myself at the thought that I would be boarding one of those planes soon. I would finally be getting away from my past, allowing this town to be nothing more than just a distant memory. I turned away from the giant window and follow the sea of people to an unoccupied seat near a deserted coffee shop, the strong smell of coffee hitting me as I got closer to my destination.

My eyes wandered vacantly around my surroundings. My gaze jumping from person to person. I watched the emotions that covered each of their faces, intrigued by the story that appeared behind every emotion. A lady, who I assumed to be in her early sixties, held onto her son in a tight embrace. She pulled back and her pale hand grasped his, her face full of sadness, tears filling her eyes which threatened to spill. To her right was a young family, whom I assume were going on their first family vacation, the smile on the tallest child face gave it away. She kept swaying back and forth on the heels of her feet, her eager eyes meeting the screen of the television attached to the north wall, which informed all travelers of the time of departures, every ten seconds.

But what made me let out a small gasp and stumble to my feet was the tall, dark headed man walking towards me. His determined, but familiar eyes meeting my own, and I knew in that moment my past had caught up with me.

I knew that I should have been looking for an escape route, a place where I could have run to. But I couldn't, I was rooted to my spot. I felt paralyzed. I could feel my anxiety starting to build up inside me, starting in my stomach and slowly creeping its way up to into my chest. I felt like I was eight years old again, lost in the big supermarket, desperately looking for someone like my mum to save me. I needed her with me, now. I needed her support before the walls I had built so high came crumbling down. I took in a slow, deep breath whilst I tried and keep my anxieties down.

In and out.

In and out.

I turned to face my past.

Authors note:

Cover made by me.

Thank you for reading. Do let me know what you think.