The Romantic

She sat on a bench beneath a mango tree. Her green eyes were pensive and glistening in the evening light. Sophia smiled when Hadriel approached. She stood to embrace him and invited him to take a seat. It was the same stone bench where they conversed for the first time. In essence, it was the center of their universe. It was where their friendship began.

She asked him about his reasons and his timing. For it perplexed her that he professed his love on the eve of leaving for the military. He sat with her in silence. His voice escaped him, just as it had when they first met. He tried to say something, but he feared ruining the moment. He feared chasing her away. He never felt more at ease than when he was in her presence.

La Señora Keila stepped out onto the terrace before he replied. She called out to Sophia and reminded her that they didn’t have much time. Dazed, Hadriel could have sworn he heard La Señora Keila mention packing and the move.

In those few minutes, the sun fell beyond the horizon and destiny and chance were taken with the day. La Señora Keila called out to her again. Sophia stood and waved at her mother before she turned again to Hadriel and said,

“Remember me as I am.”

She left him under a tree and under the moon and under the stars. She did not promise to return. She gave him a kiss and a letter. A long letter that was difficult to write: a letter that gave him a glimpse into her heart and revealed her confusion.

He watched her leave with tears in his eyes. He already realized how completely he would cherish the memory of the only woman he would ever truly love. After reading the letter, he folded it the way she folded it, and kept it folded that way until the end of his days.