Maestro

by Auden Dar

“Do your parents always go on dates?” I ask, licking my spoon. “Yeah. At least once a week. Dad says it keeps romance alive.” “I’d love that one day.” “Love what?” “A husband who wants to keep the romance alive.”

I watch him walk out and make his way toward his new life. The door gently closes, like the end of a sonata. Sliding down the cool wood, I allow myself one last time to cry for the boy I gave my heart to. And the man I let go.

Two of the most natural things in life are birth and death. But you can’t undo the knowledge that someone chose death over life.

“My greatest performance was hiding a broken heart.”

“I never moved on, Aurelia.” He pauses for a second, considering his words. “I never gave up on us.” Chad stops, slides both arms around me. Leaning in, he whispers, “We’re meant to be. Always have been. Always will be.”

Life is a series of relationships, but only one woman can steer this heart of mine. Aurelia. I have always been and will always be hers.

“You’re as essential as the air I breathe, the water I drink, the music I play. Without you, I’m barely breathing. Barely existing. I refuse to be without you.”

When I was younger, I feared becoming like my mother, wasting away the years pining for a married man who would never leave his wife. Now, I’d do anything to be like my mother. Strong. Resilient. Loving.

“When I lost a part of you, it seemed like my life was over. There were days when I begged God to take me. But time… Time is a gift, especially for the brokenhearted. For those who have lost. Let time be a gift.”

We can only move forward when we accept our past. Our mistakes. Our regrets. All those memories, no matter how painful at times, are a gift. They’ve shaped our hearts.

The nuggets in this story are epic!