Winter Tears

Days later, her best friend called him and asked to meet him. She didn't say anything, only placed a small box into his palm and left.

He didn't open the box yet, and instead decided to go to the villa.

Once he entered it, he saw that all the things that he bumped into on the day they parted, were still on the floor. It was unkempt, it looked abandoned. Most likely that she left the villa right after they broke up.

He stepped out of the house and headed towards the bench. It was no longer broken. It was probably fixed by her.

He sat at its side and opened the box.

It was a small flask of perfume. He took off the cap and inhaled, already anticipating the softness of forest in spring.

His senses engulfed in this scent, to which his heart was devoted to. His mind wavered, and at last, he recalled –

One day, a long time ago, on the anniversary of her mother's death, she started telling him of her mother. When telling the story, she was grief-stricken:

---------------------

"Are you okay, my love?"

She laughed, with tears going down her face.

"Me? I'm alright. You should have seen my dad. My dad was quite miserable that day. You see, he thought he would be with my mom forever. But my mom, she's very cruel. My dad must have thought of my mom as very wicked – she had another lover as dad, you see. When dad wasn't looking, she met someone very special."

He was confused, but he kept listening, offering the best comfort he could.

"My mom met death. She was courting death. At first at the house, then at the hospital. Their love affair went on for months. But, you know what?"

"Hmm?"

"My dad, he was a fool. He knew they couldn't be together, but he still stayed. He knew death was Mom's ultimate lover, yet he accepted the position of a side lover, and willingly, stayed until the very end.

At that time, I thought my Mom was wicked, because she didn't let go of my Dad, and that my Dad was very pitiful, because he had no choice but to keep being with Mom… But after Mom passed away, I thought that the truly pitiful one was my Mom, because she didn't have a choice, because even if she wanted she couldn't hold on to Dad, and that it was actually my Dad who was very wicked, because he didn't let Mom to let go of him…

Now, that I grew up, now that they both left me, only now I see that both of them were very pitiful, they both were very wicked, and that, that they both were very, very, extremely foolish…"

---------------------

The scent of spring in the air was bringing back her presence to his life.

He lifted his tear-stained face, and, stared out of the window at the landscape that she painted at least a hundred and six times, at the landscape that would never be painted for the hundred and seventh time, at the landscape that he would never be able to see with Her. He breathed.

---------------------

Her voice appeared again.

"Do you think my dad was silly because he accepted the title and the position of a side lover?"

At that time, what did he respond?

Ah, what did he respond?..