FOREVER AND A LIFETIME

She stood there with the crowd as still as water in a lake. Shocked and in disbelief. She had never imagined that she would be seeing him after all these years. Although, she had secretly hoped that they would meet again someday. Many years had passed , life had become a vicious circle. Both of them had been entrapped in the complexities of their respective lives. She had never married. Even though she had been with other men after him, it all seemed mechanical. Unlike the enigmatic times she experienced with him. She found it very strange to be seeing him again at the same place where they had kissed for the first time. She could still feel the warmth of his lips on hers, the sweetness of his breath and the tenderness in his touch.
She stood now next to the same tree, the huge oak.She couldn’t help but smile when she recalled how he had once climbed up the tree to carve their initials on it. She looked up at the branch, it was old and bare but not dead.Just like her love for him.
There was a slight and sudden movement in the crowd.The crowd now had their umbrellas open. She stood there feeling the slight drizzle moisten her face.The smell of the roses filled the air. He always got her red roses.He used to say they went well with the color of her cheeks. She felt her cheek with the back of her hand , just like he used to.
Today she wore her favourite black dress which was now drenched and clung to her body like a body suit. She was reminded of her prom night when she wore a beautiful dress that he had picked for her. It had rained that night too. It was the most mesmerizing rain of her life. She stood there, a shy young girl, beautiful and very elegant.Her short black hair made her face look even more graceful.He walked across the room towards her like a guided missile. They had danced all night long. He was the captain of the athletics teams they had honored him that night just like they were doing today.
She gathers all her courage and walks up to take one last look at him. His face still had that charm on it , he had grayed a bit but looked handsome. He wore a black suit , with a red rose , his favorite. He was perfect.
She wanted to run and hold him in her arms, she wanted to feel his warmth , his touch for one last time.She needed to hear his voice his , she loved the way her name sounded when he said it. It hurt her to so see him so still, so silent , so distant.
Speeches were said , praises and tears followed.She felt nobody understood her pain,her loss , her lonliness.She turned her face to the right, wiping her tears she saw his wife in wheel chair,his two children besides her.Two pretty young girls, they had their father’s elegance and their mother’s beauty. Suddenly it hit her, her loss, her pain was nothing compared to theirs .It was all over, all over forever or maybe not.Was he hers to mourn over ? maybe not?
She stood their till everyone left. Then she sat besides his grave and cried till the moon light lit the whole place. She was soaked to her soul. Before leaving she picked up a red rose from the grave. It was a deep red , with the most intense fragrance. She walked away in the moonlight just like she had ages ago, but this time without him.
She was his for forever and a lifetime.