4:30

 

4:30 PM

For some strange reason, she always showed up at this time.

I could tell by the position of the sun over our heads,

and the smile on the faces of the shadows it had forged of us.

For the first time in a long time, only one shadow was present,

at 4:40 PM,

and he wasn't smiling.

I knew outright that something was off.

All the conversations from the last few days began playing back in my head.

4:50 PM,

That was when it  hit me; she was saying goodbye.

The many times she kept asking how my life will be without her.

How she'd randomly whisper "I'll miss you"

And how she'd ask that I repeat the same silly joke so she doesn't forget it.

How dumb I was to have not seen the signs.

I had plans for her,

But a part of me always knew she was smarter.

The plans she had for herself, far outweighed what anyone else could give her.

And from the way she smiled when I spoke of my plans, 

I could loudly hear her silence say "Ha! you naive little man".

Lo, I was not sad; I wasn't even scared for her

As a matter of fact, I was elated.

She deserved more than life out here could ever give her.

I spent that evening rearranging my dreams,

Hoping I'll someday have the courage to run away too,

While I imagined how great our lives will turn out,

With or without each other

And I whispered in the direction of the wind,

Trusting the possibility of her hearing this message;

"Wherever you are Eaglet, keep flying!"

5:00 PM!

Photo by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash