By: Shae
She grabs her
magazines\She packs her things, and she goes\She leaves the pictures hanging on
the wall\She burns all her notes, and she knows\She's been here too few years
to feel this old
Shae sighed. Why in the world did she buy all these magazines every
month? She never had time to read them,
and she never wanted to throw them away.
Oh well, just pack them up with everything else.
She grabbed the marker and the masking
tape off the table. She sealed the box
and labeled it. There, that was the
last box. She looked around. She gave each picture a once over. They were all pictures of the past. Pictures of a much simpler, much happier
time. Things were so easy back
then.
She returned to her task at hand. She picked all the papers off her desk. They were all from Alex. Some were letters from the road, but most
were little love notes that had been left in various spots around the
house. She smiled as she threw them in
the waste basket. She took a match from
the box and swiped it down the side.
She let it burn down to her fingers before dropping it into the
can. She watched them burn until the
flame finally faded away.
She lifted the box of magazines and headed
for the door. She looked around one
last time. Two years of her life she
gave to this house, this relationship.
Somehow it felt like twenty.
He smokes his
cigarette\He stays outside 'til it's gone\If anybody ever had a heart\Well, he
wouldn't be alone, and he knows\She's been here too few years to be gone
AJ sat on the steps smoking. Shae had never let him smoke in the
house. The first few months he had
tried to sneak around and do it, but she has always caught him.
He shook his head. He had thought she was the one. He thought she loved him. But that couldn't be true, could it? She'd still be here if she had loved him.
But she had loved him...once. Things had been wonderful. It had only been in the past few months that
things had went south. If only she'd
give it a few more months, everything would work out okay. She can't leave so soon. God, she's only been here a couple of years.
AJ shook his head again, clearing all his
thoughts. He took the last puff of his
cigarette. He threw it down and stamped
it out, before returning to the house.
And we always say\That
it would be good to go away, someday\Yeah, but if there's nothing there to make
things change\If it's the same for you, I'll just hang
AJ looked around the half-empty
bedroom. He remembered their last
couple of fights. He had told Shae that
maybe they just needed a break. That
maybe she should spend more time with her family and friends. You know, take a little vacation. Apparently she finally decided that was
best.
AJ thought about taking a vacation
himself. Maybe he could go visit his
Mom, or go party with his friends. He
shook his head. "Na, I'll just
hang around the house until she gets back," he told himself. He took another swig from his beer.
The trouble understand,
is she's got reasons he don't\Funny how he couldn't see at all\Until she
grabbed up her coat, and she goes\She's been here too few years to take it all
in stride\Yeah, well, still it's much too long to let hurt go (to let her go)
AJ shifted his gaze away from the
television as Shae entered the bedroom.
He smiled softly up at her. His
heart sank when she couldn't do the same.
"Hey," she stammered. She pointed towards the closet. "I just came to get my coat. I forget to pack it, and I'll need it this
winter."
AJ just stared ahead blankly and
nodded. It hit him full-force. She was really leaving. Hell, she was already gone. He fought to keep the tears from
falling. He was blinking them away when
he realized she was speaking again.
"Look, Alex, I'm sorry about leaving
like this." She fidgeted with the
buttons on her coat, refusing to look at him.
She loved him with all her heart.
But he had broken it too many times.
She knew it was hard for him to be faithful on the road. But she needed that. Even though she tried her best to look over
his little indiscretions, she just couldn't.
They hurt too damn bad. She just
felt that he needed more than she could give him. And she couldn't live like that anymore. She quickly walked over to him and kissed
his cheek. His tears burned her
lips. A moan caught in her throat and
she turned and ran from the house.
AJ watched her run out, wanting so bad to
run after her. But he just sat there
clinging to his tears and his pain.
They were all he had left of her and he wasn't about to give those up
too.
And, we always say\That
it would be good to go away, someday\Yeah, but if there's nothing there to make
things change\If it's the same for you, I'll just hang\The same for you, I'll
always hang
Shae sat behind the wheel, willing herself
to start the car. She knew this was
best. She knew that she should just get
out of his life, and let him live it on his own. He'd be okay without her there.
No matter what, he'd always be the same.
She blew a kiss into the air. "I'll always love you Alex." She started the car and backed out of the
driveway.
Well, I always say\It
would be good to go away\But if things don't work out like we think\And there's
nothing there to ease this ache\And there's nothing there to make things
change\If it's the same for you, I'll just hang
A few weeks
later........
AJ knew it would be best to get out of the
house. All the guys had been by trying
to coax him out. But he didn't want to
go anywhere. Going out wouldn't change
things. Shae would still be gone, and
his heart would still be broken.
The phone rang. AJ didn't move. It was
probably D, or Kev, wanting him to go out with them tonight. The machine picked up. He was right, it was D. As soon and the message ended, he cut off
the ringer. He grabbed a drink from the
fridge headed for the living room. He
didn't feel like going out. He was just
going hang around the house tonight.
THE END
Tell Shae what you thought of this story!
