One Shot Stories

127

THE GIRL IN THE PAINTING WHO ALWAYS HURT HERSELF

I am roaming around in the museum when a painting just caught my eyes.

I came closer and stare to it for a minute.

I gazed to the tour guide who is with me because she is the one who will explain every painting that I will ask her and guide me here.

"What's the story behind this painting?" I asked myself.

I looked again at the painting. It was a girl with tears in her cheeks, sadness is evident in her eyes, you can see her upper body but her private parts which is her chest is covered by the bandage... but what caught me is the cuts, bruises and violet color marks in her skin. In the painting  she is softly embracing her arms. Even in her case, she is a beauty... a goddess like Aphrodite. With her slim body, fair skin, and beautiful face.

"What's the title of this painting?" I asked the tour guide in this museum, and I am still looking at the painting. I can't remove my eyes to the girl in the painting.

"The girl who always hurt herself, sir."

"Can you tell me the story of it?"

"Yes sir. Ahm, since she was a child she always hurt herself physically because she always beaten by her own parents. And the reason why she hurt herself is because before her parents beat her, she can no longer feel the pain for she is already hurt herself. She always do that. So you can see in the painting sir, that there are some old scars that you can notice."

My brows furrowed. The painting is really interesting.

"But why there are fresh cuts and bruises in her skin? Until her death, her parents still beating her?"

The tour guide shooked her head. "No sir, actually her parents died when she in her teenage years."

"B-But why there are still bruises in her skin?" I am really curious now... why the girl in the painting end up kiling herself?

"When her parents died, she is really happy... We all know and the girl in the painting knows that being happy by death is not good. But who she is not to be happy, right? She is already free. And she is more happy when she met a guy."

"A guy?"

"Yes, sir. She became more happy because of a guy, but she didn't tell her own story and her past to her partner. At first, their relationship is full of happiness... but years passed. Her boyfriend wants to give her body, I mean... you know it sir."

"Yes." I can sense the awkwardness to her. Who wouldn't? We know that it's really awkward to talk about sex to strangers.

"Continue," I uttered the tour guide.

"Then the girl in the painting didn't agree, because she is afraid that the man she love might judge her... she is afraid that her man might leave because of her body. That behind her beauty face is her unlovely body and her dark past. She is afraid.

"And after that, their relationship change. Her man being cold to her. And she caught her man cheating on her. And everytime she caught her man with different girls, she always hurt herself like she used before. She thinks that hurting physically can swallow all her pain emotionally. She hurt herself so if her man is with her, she can no longer feel the pain in her heart.

"Until her man broke up with her. She go back to her life like before. She is already drown by her depression. And this painting came."

I bit my lower lip when I heard the story of this painting.

"May I know who's the one who painted this?" I saw the tour guide smiled sadly.

"It's a self portrait sir. The girl in the painting is the one who painted it. But sadly after she gave her painting to us, she died... I think she already gave up in her life. She killed herself."

My tears starts to fall.

That girl in the painting who always hurt herself is... my ex girlfriend.

It was eight years ago.

And the reason why I asked the story of the  painting, because the face of the girl in this art is familiar... and it's really her!

I remembered, she is good at painting. For me she is the best painter.

And I don't know what to feel after knowing everything about her.

I am the main reason why she suffered. I am the man who cheated on her, I thought everything is okay with her, because she always smiles at me, even when I ended up our relationship.

"I am s-sorry..." I whispered while looking at the painting.

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HartleyRoses