Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Tomorrow and Again: A short story

A young lady was sipping her coffee on a rainy afternoon. Apparently, she's waiting for someone. She's holding her cellphone, texting, then after a while she received an SMS. Her eyes became sad and weary. He's not coming. According to the message, he's working on something that's urgent.

The young lady paid for her drink and went out of the coffee shop, then opened her umbrella for the rain. She was almost going to get a taxi but she felt like riding the train. She walked on the pavement that leads to the terminal.

Upon reaching the station she queued for a ticket then hopped onto the next train. It is raining, still. Everywhere she looks on is wet as she sat near the door. Suddenly, she felt slight shivers, a tear fell off her left eye. The young lady turned her cheek the other way, to the window, away from her fellow passengers. Past the buildings, through the glass window, she saw herself and her boy happy. But at the back of her mind, she isn't. She's insecure and doubtful. Reminiscing their time together kept her senses right, that there's something wrong or missing.

Then she came back from the daydream. She unknowingly passed three stations from her destination. She had to go back. Immediately, she stood in front of train door to get out at the next stop. The door opened, several people tried to get in while she's alighting. Then a familiar face came into view, he was rushing to the door, holding a girl, with his in her hand.

She's beautiful, comparable to her. The young lady stood before the two, the boy is in shock, as well as the girl. Then the sound of the train door went on, signaling that it is closing. The boy, with the girl, head to the door but the young lady held his upper right arm, tight. They came to a halt.

The young lady asked, as the train rumbles away, "Who is she?"

Hums from the train zooming away answered her, then silence. Dead silence deafened her. The girl looked away, the boy looked down. The young lady is still looking at the boy, then to his and the girl's hands, holding each other, finger over another finger over another. Then her eyes went to her own hand that's holding his boy's arm, then back to his face, trying to make eye contact. Then the boy broke his silence, and said, "I'm sorry."

The young lady was surprised with herself, she did not cried, not a tear. She felt like a different woman. Another train is coming. She immediately replied, "If you love her, then tell me so I know you won't be needing me anymore. If she's the one, then I'll let you be. I'll just go on, alone."

The boy is dumbfounded, but slightly shrugged his shoulder as people start to swarm in for the next train. The young lady let go of his arm. The boy and the girl went on to the train door, past her, as it opens. The two went in, she didn't turned her head to look on. The sliding doors went shut and left. A tear fell off her right eye now, then she closed both of it. With the train rumbling away she stepped back.

Then she found herself opening her umbrella and about to get a taxi. She hesitated, looked on to the pavement then raised her right hand. A taxi stopped, she hopped in and looked at the coffee shop that had just gave her her much needed warmth, thinking, 'I'll just ask him out tomorrow, again.'

End.

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