14 Days of Nature #ProjectNigeria

Cloud by Thoughtsontext

Do the clouds tell you when your life is about to change irreversibly forever?  If they do, then why was it so sunny? Why were they so pristinely white, holding promises of the most beautiful day I'd ever have?

It was the fifteenth day of December, the weather forecast foretold a sunny day littered with resplendent clouds, and my heart held hope of the wedding of my dreams.

The forecast didn't lie, because it was the most beautiful, cloudy day I'd ever seen. But my heart– it's safe to say I'll never trust my gut instinct again.

It's cloudy today, and so I can't help but remember the disastrous turn of events, and how fate had made a mockery of my trust in humanity. I can't help but remember him. I can't help but recall my implicit trust, trust in promises of hope and love that I held dear.

My horoscope read, your life will change forever. And while I had never had faith in the stars, I had faith in the sun, and I had faith in those clouds. I thought it would be the perfect day. I knew my life would change forever, I just didn't realize just how broken I'd be once it did.

There wasn't any humidity in the air as I stepped out of my apartment on the fifteenth day of December, nervous excitement building in my belly as I had dreamt of how my perfect date with my boyfriend would play out. I knew I'd have a shiny rock on my finger once the time clocked twelve, midnight, and I was quite ready for the change in my relationship status.

He was my everything, and having him to hold as my other half would change everything. So I took several hours bathing, cleansing, waxing, peeling off the heartbreaks and pain of my past relationships in anticipation of my new life as his fiancée. It wasn't one of those sadistic twists where he would end up breaking up with me, instead of having the proposal I dreamt of. The heavy rock resting on my ring finger said so, looking at it brought fresh tears to my eyes at the twist I'd experienced.

Hours and hours of careful preparation saw me looking more resplendent than I'd ever been, and an inner glow that stemmed from promise made the effect even more dazzling. And I had never been one to throw praises at myself in vain, but today I knew I looked stunning.

I donned the perfect white dress I'd chosen and rushed out of my apartment, hurrying to the restaurant a few blocks away where we had planned to meet.

It was just mid afternoon, the sun still up in the sky, the clouds ever present, now I see they were mocking me, but then I thought they offered me silent words of fortitude and encouragement. Or maybe they did offer those kind words, because I would need all the fortitude for what I was about to see.

And I got to the restaurant, pausing briefly to turn around, and stopping altogether when I saw the love of my life across the street, our eyes meeting, and his radiant smile, showcasing the slightly crooked teeth I'd come to adore.

And time stopped, as I saw all the promise I'd ever need, held in his beautiful, grey eyes. And I'm thankful I looked, so thankful.

Do the clouds tell you when your life is about to face irrevocable change? If they do, why didn't they offer some prior warning? Those damned clouds with their mocking silence.

They watched as he crossed over to meet me, excitement painted all over his beautiful, slightly mismatched features, they watched. They saw us absorbed in each other, they saw it all.

In silent amusement, they saw the truck coming towards my love, they saw that we never saw it coming. They watched as I saw him flung several feet in the sky, as unreal as it was in the movies, the ring box flailing sadistically from his suit jacket, landing with a silent thud on the ground, bare minutes before my love crashed down with a force that cracked his head, spraying blood and grey matter everywhere, some odd droplets tainting my white dress.

The clouds watched as I stood frozen, yet moving, picking up the then bloodied ring and slipping it on my fingers, as strangers began to pile around us in alarm, trying to put distance between me and the love I lost.

They watched as I broke, my heart disintegrating like my lovers body, as my tears washed away little pieces of his beautiful self.

And oh, they watched in silence.

And I stood there, wondering why the clouds never told us their promises were untrue. Why I had no prior warning, of just how my life would change forever.

And now as the ring glinted in the harsh fluorescent lighting, I recalled how the clouds had relayed fake promises, or whether they had told the truth and I'd been too blind to notice.

And even though there was no way I could ever have known how horribly wrong things would go, I knew for a certainty that I could never again trust a cloudy day.

thoughtsontext