It’s True
LoRell McLean
The air was fresh and quiet. The sun was pretty and hot. Clouds transitioned through the sky with ease. The sound of nature was loud, but comforting. Cobblestone sidewalks littered the ground. Skyscrapers cluttered the world. The heat from the sun flowed through the metal beams that supported them. Crowds of people hustling and bustling were found between the monstrous man made wonders. Every skin tone, economic class, religious believer, and everything else was found under the sun. Millions of bodies all bustling and brushing against each other, each one with a set destination. Along with absolutely no hesitation. It was easy to get lost in it.
Anyone that went against the grain would surely get pushed and shoved until they were back on track. Almost like a hive mind, moving all on one accord. The bustling crowd functioned for hours without any disturbances. Until two people immersed deep within, decided to just talk. The culprits were a man and a woman. The man spoke softly and listened intently. The woman was familiar to the man, but he couldn’t quite remember completely who she was. The woman as well kept her eyes on the man as they conversed, not even grasping a second to glance over at the marchers in the crowd. The two were at a relatively close distance away from each other. So much so that a small divot began to form around them, as if the crowds were adapting to this disruption in the system. The man began to clear his throat as he prepared another response.
“I just don’t want to bother you. You can be cool with someone, but still people can become exhausted with talking, you know.” His mouth swiftly enunciated the words, avoiding eye contact as he spoke trying not to get caught. The woman’s soft green eyes laid a heartfelt gaze directed at his face.
“I’ve seen you and in all that time, you can never seem to just enjoy yourself.” Her response striking yet truthful but supportive. The man’s brown eyes widened in shock. He was almost offended. Who was this random woman watching him, yet in his soul she knew her words rang true. And although his brain’s logic tempted him to move, his heart felt he had to stay. He began gazing around trying to grapple his thoughts looking for a response. After about twelve seconds, he found one.
“I have though. I smile and joke with my friends, I play sports and watch movies.” The man’s eyes scanned the woman’s face hungry for approval, yet her soft green eyes didn’t seem to confirm nor deny what he was saying. He continued on.
“I buy things I like. I love my family, I have a stable job so how am I not enjoying myself?” His face held a puzzled look. As if the world just told him he wasn’t real. The woman’s face was unchanging and comforting, radiant glow seemed to almost emanate from her mere gaze.
“Those are all true.” She responded softly. “But where has your heart been?” It was like a bomb had been set off. The man’s shoulders dropped instantly and suddenly his eyelids were heavy and his once neutral face held a deep frown. His voice got dangerously low.
“How am I supposed to know? Maybe I was having too much fun to think about all that.” He sneered like a rebellious teenager refusing to take out the trash. The woman’s aura didn’t deter despite his pushback.
“If you continue to lie to yourself, it’s going to hurt more.” The woman responded. Her words felt like a calm invitation to picnic. It felt all too good to be true. But he accepted her invitation anyway.
“I feel like sometimes, things are too good.”
“No, your just afraid of losing good things. So when you get them you stress yourself out about it.” The woman refuted. Almost instantly the man’s trance was broken as he analyzed his surroundings. The crowd was starting to dwindle in number. He tried his hardest to hide the effects of her words, and began wiping something imaginary off his face with both hands before he continued on.
“I know what it’s like to have the rug taken from up under you.” His face was low and his body hunched over. After a silent minute, the woman began taking slow steps towards him. Until she finally reached him.
“Hey, lift your head up.” Her tone was assertive but still somehow nurturing. It stunned the man. “Life contains pain, but it doesn’t mean it’s full of it. Your gonna be alright, I just know it.” A smile from heaven was found on her face.
The man blankly gazed into the green portals that were the woman’s eyes. Flashes of rage, confusion, disappointment, pain and hope cycled through his eyes. The woman noticed and it warmed her heart to it’s fullest.
“I just want a miracle to grace me.” The man barely produced loud enough for her to hear. “The world is full of greedy people that just want and take. But their lives aren’t nearly as difficult as mine.” The emotion in his voice began welling up.
“So when I just ask for one thing, just one thing coming from a man that doesn’t as for much…” He hung his head low.
“I start to feel how painful life is.”
His head held no signs of lifting up. Not until the warm feelings of two soft hands lifting his head up surprised him. The woman’s hands covered both sides of his face. Her eyes intently locked with his. She smiled. The man couldn’t. Confusion overtook him. Her light voice began to pierce his hard ears.
“That’s what it feels like. It’s not true. How you feel know it’s how you’ll feel forever. The isn’t the conclusion of your life.” Her words were a spear that struck the mans eyes, ears, and heart as his face began to drown in tears. The woman’s hands retracted and she pointed and tapped the man’s chest.
“You have a heart, it’s been through a lot but keep pushing. I see you doing it right now.” After she uttered “now” her warm hands clasped around the mans shoulders as she gifted him a hug. Tears rolled down the man’s eyes as he wept as quietly as he could. They embraced for minutes. It was almost like a healing ritual. But as they both retreated, the woman spoke softly again.
“You wanna know, how I know your gonna be alright?” The man furrowed his brow as he wiped the tears off of his face and gazed at her in disbelief and curiosity. He was barely audible in his response.
“Sure.”
“You’ve lived on making memories, enjoying life and facing challenges despite you thinking you couldn’t.” The man’s face was full of emotion, his heart beating faster as his mind tried to figure out where the woman was going with all this. Until it finally hit him. He finally remembered her. The woman grinned a childish smile, like a mischievous child running around the house. The faces of both souls were flooded with tears as they embraced one more time. As the embrace ended, the woman looked at the man with a tearful smile.
“I can’t be here much longer, but I just wanted to help.” She choked the words out of mouth, restraining tears with each word spoken. Before the man could respond the woman swiftly turned her back to him and slowly walked away. Before she disappeared into the crowd she turned and said one more thing.
“You believed life was over when you lost me. But it wasn’t, so keep going. I know you can.” Her eyes locked in on his as she uttered those words. They both felt the warmth fulfillment of gratitude and the lone chilliness of sadness. Their souls would miss this moment. Before he could respond the woman disappeared into the bits of crowd that were left.
Now the sun had resided as the crowded streets were more lax and free. As the man began his journey walking from where he’d met that woman, he gazed towards the heavens wondering and thinking. His thoughts didn’t last long as he couldn’t help but finally admire the beauty of the night sky.
Author Notes
- I purposely didn’t give full descriptions of the characters, because I wanted the focus to be on the emotions throughout the story.
- The setting I realized may have unintentionally symbolized as something, so let me know if you identify anything there.
Questions
- What did you feel as you read along?
- Do the characters feel real?
- Does the story feel rushed?
- Where could my word choice be improved?
- What themes did you get?
- Does the story overall make sense?
- Is the story relatable to you in any sort of way?
- Who do you think the woman was?
- Any other thoughts?