The One That Got Away

Love conquers all.

“Flowers, that’ll do the trick” He said to no one in particular. 

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. He shouldn’t need to do anything to get her back, because she shouldn’t be gone in the first place. The whole thing really was a bit ridiculous. However, if this is what it took then he would do it. That’s what you do in relationships; you make sacrifices and concessions even when it’s really all the other person’s fault. 

So, on he went, humming a tune of the songs in his head and in his heart while he strolled the short distance from their quaint suburban home to the open air night markets.  Here he would surely find just the right bouquet to make everything the way it used to be, the way it was before she went away. An idea had started to take shape in his head, a picture of how she would react to his gift. She would forgive him of course (even though there really was nothing to forgive) and then she would smile in that funny way that only she could, that way that said she was never really all that angry to begin with, that she only had eyes for him and that they would be together for ever.  It would all be so perfect.

The market was bustling when he arrived, as people couldn’t help but to take advantage of the warm evening air. It was the kind of night which not only hid all manner of imperfections, but also transformed the mundane into something truly special, where a simple string of fairy lights outlining the stalls and portable shopfronts overcame their daytime tackiness to become something which more closely resembled the stars in the sky than they did the cheap pieces of plastic and rubber that they actually were.  He was certain that this was a sign, one that couldn’t be ignored. Tonight everything would come together.

It was with this in mind that he found what he had been looking for, a beautiful mixed bouquet of flowers that seemed to perfectly encapsulate the moment, the fragrant springtime breeze, the happy couples walking arm in arm, all of it. Money exchanged hands and he headed home with his purchase and a spring in his step he hadn’t felt in months. She would be waiting for him; she had to be because they had agreed that tonight was the night. She would be waiting and she would forgive him.

The porch light was on when he arrived. Of course it was, she wanted him to know that yes, she was there waiting for him, the way she always would be. There was no need to knock as she hadn’t bothered to lock the door when she came in. She knew better about that, a person can never be too safe these days. He had told her this countless times. Tonight though it didn’t matter, nothing could spoil what was sure to be the beginning of their forever. The door opened before him and there she was.

He could see her sitting in her favourite chair, right where he had expected her to be. What he hadn’t expected were the candles that she had lit. There were dozens placed around the room, casting eerie flickering shadows across the walls. The shades were drawn as well; making the room feel like the world outside no longer existed.

“I’m so glad you came” he said, his voice quavering with a nervousness he hadn’t realized had been plaguing him the whole day. 

What if she changed her mind? What if she went away again? 

No answer. But, there was that smile she gave only to him. He could just make it out in the warm glow of the candlelight. What was she waiting for? 

“Look at what I got for you. I know how much you love flowers”. 

He took a step forward and placed them in her arms, but still no answer. Just that same smile peering up at him. He loved that smile, but he hated it too. Nothing else unsettled him quite like it did. 

“Do you like them? They’re fresh from the markets.” 

Silence. 

Was she mocking him? Had he gone to all this trouble just to be laughed at? That f*****g smile, she thought she was so smart, just so f*****g special. Now she wouldn’t even grace him with the sound of her voice. F*****g typical of her. 

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her as hard as he could. “ANSWER ME YOU STUPID F*****G W***E!!!!!”  It was her fault, all she had to do was answer him and things would go back to the way they had always been.  Instead she just kept smiling him. 

No, it wasn’t smiling at all, she was sneering at him. Her head fell forward as he shook her and that’s when he saw it, saw the hole. He had put it there, but SHE had made him do it by trying to get away from him. What did she expect him to do? The hammer had been lying on the table and he did the only thing he could. Now here he was trying to apologize and she still couldn’t just let it go. How many months would have to go by before she realized that she was ruining everything? In a fury he flung her across the room and collapsed, breathing heavily while he waited for his rage to subside. 

He could fix this, he could fix anything, he could fix them. 

“Flowers, that’ll do the trick” he said to no one in particular.