September 14, 2017
3:54 PM
“Remember that night of Collin’s bonfire when I saw you crying? We went over to my house to talk and the next morning I woke up to find a beautiful girl laying next to me. A beautiful girl who became mine the previous night. I had been avoiding you just a few hours ago, but then, a few hours later, you became irresistible.”
Lia and I talked nonstop.
“Lia, why did you leave me?” I asked.
Right after the question, it became silent. However, I understood.
I could hear my heart beat faster and faster by the second.
The sun drowned in the horizon, its rays of light glimmering in the sky’s waves of reds, violets, and oranges.
After what seemed almost forever, I brought up the letter again.
“When we met in 2013, you were a depressed teenager who turned to alcohol, drugs, and sex to forget about the pain; I was a depressed teenager who self-harmed and cried himself to sleep. We both hated when people saw us cry because we wanted to show them that we were strong. But, at the same time, we hated how nobody noticed that we were torn apart.
“Lia, then we found each other. We were able to fix one another. You stopped turning to alcohol, drugs, and sex because you knew you had me to help you. I stopped cutting because... because I knew I had you.”
I blinked briny tears, my lashes stuck together in clumps as if I had been swimming. Tears made wet tracks down my face. Clear watery snot streaked from my nostrils down to my open quivering lips.
Soon, the pale moon a bright stars peeked at me from behind the dark clouds. I then realized that it was getting much later then Lia or I had expected.
“Lia, Maybe I should just get going.” I said as I wiped away my snot and tears with my sleeve.
I placed some roses on Lia and took a last glance at her.
There was a cruel irony to the gravestone that stood in front of me.
It stood there with strongness, ready to last a hundred years or more. Yet, Lia had already perished. Her flesh returns to the soil, her memories evaporate, and sadly, people forget about her. My love has departed, but the stone stays. I know it's ridiculous, but somehow this slice of rock steadies me again and sends me back to my life.
In loving memory of
Lia Gray
March 2, 1996 - September 14, 2015
I took out the note that Lia had left for me and read it out loud.
"Our love was almost forever."
"Dang it, Lia." I added on with some tears.
"I miss you."
