"It was a four-story fall, form the top of the rood to the
concrete pavement below.
He had just past his 29th birthday.
We had been
texting each other all day.
His name was Tom.
And he was my life. "
One
Transferring schools
Just to leave a place of heartbreak
And then
Happening to meet you here
A red balloon drifts slowly past the window
The letter unfolded in my hands still holds the warmth of the writer’s fingers
—Red Balloon
It isn’t that they all want to be different
This is simply who they really are
If the world has room for so many colors
It has room for the rainbow flag, too
I am standing here for you forever.
Two
“Hey, do you think you’ll ever come back?”
She asked.
He stared at the straight train tracks stretching out of sight, his eyes blank. Who knew what he was thinking?
“Hey—”
She waved a hand in front of his eyes.
“I don’t know.”
His expression and posture stayed the same. The words drifted quietly out of his mouth.
“Won’t you miss everyone here? Him, too.”
Before she had finished, a scene came back to him:
He walked out the door carrying his suitcase. The other man followed with his backpack. Neither said a word as they got into the car in silence.
After he got out, the man still in the car was about to roll up the window when he suddenly asked,
“If I never come back, will you come looking for me?”
The man in the car lowered his head in thought, then turned to him and answered with an air of ease,
“This will always be your home. Travelers come home when they’ve wandered enough. Mom, Dad, and I will be right here waiting for you.”
He even managed to force a little smile at the end. It looked sweet.
He gave a hollow laugh and said,
“Okay, I’m off, then. Wish me a good trip. Goodbye.”
He slung on his backpack, turned, and wheeled his suitcase toward the station entrance without looking back.
The other man was left sitting alone in the car, taking in his whole figure and the space around him through the small window. The heart burning in his chest beat uneasily, as though unwilling to let go.
“I need to go through security. We’ll keep in touch.”
With that, he picked up his luggage and headed into the station, afraid to meet her eyes. But even his long eyelashes couldn’t hide the sadness in them.
She stayed where she was, waving helplessly like a fool until his figure disappeared.