I figured I’d try my hand at a short story, and publish it here. I’m not sure how good this is, as it’s my first effort at it, but if you like it, let me know in comments or you can tweet me. Thanks.
On the morning of the day his young heart would break, Kevin’s phone rang, rousing him from a light sleep. It was Alison, a young woman with whom he had developed a love interest—one that was waning for weeks and that would end on this day. She asked if Kevin would come help her move a few things, and ever the dutiful friend he was, he agreed. For weeks, he tried to deny that this was a possibility, but now it was happening. Alison was leaving town, and was moving in with her new boyfriend in the city.
The drive to Alison’s apartment was quiet, except for the hum of the engine of Kevin’s subcompact car. Normally, there’d be music playing, or either a news or talk show chattering in the background. Not this day. Kevin had too much on his mind, and not even the silence could help him with what he wanted most.
For months, he had courted Alison; talked to her, went places with her, and lent his shoulder for her to cry on. He stole a kiss from her a few times. They had shared nights of passion together. Then, it all faded away to nothing. By the time Kevin had realized what happened, Alison had found another. And now, she was leaving with him to share a life; the life Kevin wanted to share with her, but she wouldn’t let him.
She had a small apartment with a few of her things, and most of these were packed away in her car and a small truck, when Kevin showed up to help her with the rest. It took no more than an hour, with Bruce’s help—Bruce, who was Alison’s new love; who was taking her away with him, away from Kevin. To his credit, Kevin put on the bravest performance that he could in front of them that day. He smiled, he was polite and cordial, but inside he was equally seething with jealousy and crestfallen.
Alison was leaving him; but even as he tried to deny it, Kevin had suspected that for a while.
Today, she was actually gone. There wasn’t anything left for him to say. There was nothing he could do, no magic that could bring her back. She was gone, even though he was but a few feet from her. Her smile was still infectious, and her laugh still echoing in his ears, but she was gone from him. Kevin always knew this day would come; he never thought it would come so soon, and that he’d be the one left behind.
As they finished packing, Alison and Kevin said their final face-to-face goodbyes. She promised she would call him, but that mattered little to Kevin at the moment. For now, he was watching Alison drive away—from her old town, from her old life, and from Kevin. He watched them drive away together. And then, he was alone with his thoughts.
He walked back to his car, but didn’t get in—he just stopped and looked around for a few minutes, wondering what just happened to him. He couldn’t process the fact that Alison, whom he loved and had told her so many times, was now out of his life. Yet he had to go back to his life, somehow.
Kevin got in the car, and slowly began the drive back home. The clouds in the sky were threatening rain. Yet inside the small car that Kevin drove down the backroads, the rain had already set in. He was hurt. He was confused. And with no need to put on a brave act anymore, he broke down.
Perhaps Kevin felt love had failed him; perhaps he knew all along that Alison could never give him the fulfillment he needed—after all, she told him that they could never really be together; not that Kevin listened…but none of this mattered to him, now. His heart was broken, and his spirit was dashed. Just months before, it was different: Kevin was on top of the world, and he felt invincible; all because he had love in his life, or he believed he did. Now, as night and the rain from the sky fell, he was powerless, and the world had thrown him from the mountain and into the abyss. All because love had departed him.
Nothing else mattered to Kevin. Not music, not dinner, not football, not the other drivers on the highway. He just wanted to be alone with his tears and the rain that was pouring down outside. Nothing else mattered but the rain. Alison was gone, and there was nothing else Kevin could do except cry through the pain. Yet as long it was raining, at least he wasn’t crying alone; just as he was crying over Alison, the skies were crying with him.
