Blurred Image

Blurb

When love is naught but dashed hopes, and happily ever after is naught but a fleeting mirage, what remains is hurt and a longing for closure. This man was jilted by love, and finding closure can be a dangerous thing…

Story

I sit here completely lost, staring at the crashing of soothing waves, reminiscing, lost in a bleak nostalgia of you. A bright gold firmament lines the sky, and the setting sun casts its golden streak across a relaxed sea. These were sights we loved; sights you now share with someone else. I feel the sand between my toes, warm and gritty, baked by the sun. I remember we would lay here and make sand angels—sand angels in summer.

I wonder if such a sight reminds you of me.

We would wait for low tide before wading into the water, and you would cling to me. We would just stay there in each other’s arms, at peace, listening to the symphony of our heartbeats. But now the tunes have changed, as you have made a new melody with someone else—standing in our spot, and holding him.

I wonder if this reminds you of me.

And when night fell, we would sneak up to the large cliffs overlooking the shore. These rocks have witnessed our acts of love. When we lie hands entwined and hearts at peace, you would tell me all your dreams; dreams I sacrificed for; dreams I built with you. We both pictured a life together—a life touring the world. We named our children before they were born; I was that sure you were the one.

I worked in between jobs to help you stay in school because you were smart, and I believed in you. And now, you have become what we both dreamed about, but you are sharing our future with someone else. I made sacrifices for you; I refused a job that would have changed my life, simply because you could not bear to see me go. I stayed because I believed in us. I let you move in with me and live off me, drain me, because I believed in us. I did late nights for you, typing school work and projects when you were stressed from the day’s battering.

Because I believed in us, I could not see past us. There was nothing else to see. You were my waking thoughts and bedding hopes. I invested myself in you because I knew you would be my future. I believed in us! And now, your laughter is ringing across the shores as he chases you in the sunset—the same way it did when I chased you too. Does it not remind you of me?

You have forgotten me. I see it in your smile across the park from you, sitting on another bench. 

You have forgotten me. I see it in your eyes across the room from you, seated at another table.

You have forgotten me, I see it in the way you move against him. Across the hall in another section of the club. I have watched you build with him for almost five months and you both wanted to get married. I had groveled after you for three years and you never took me to your parents!

How could you have forgotten me so soon?

You will remember me. I will not be denied. I brought you a ‘gift’ this time. So, I wrap my fingers around its cold butt and rise to my feet. I see you huddled against him, whispering musings into his ear. He laughs. I blink back tears and start walking in your direction, wondering how you would react to seeing me again. Maybe your eyes would widen in shock or darken with disgust, and perhaps you would jolt with fear when I present it to you. Surely, you would plead.

I could see you kissing him in the sand. My heart cringes with despair and rage. My vision blurs with tears, but I soldier on, my fingers tightening around it.

You looked up and noticed me when I was a few meters away. Recognition registered on your face. It contorted into a scowl—like I knew it would—fueling the rage already bellowing inside me. I took out your ‘gift’ and aimed it at you. Oh, how I relished in that moment, watching your eyes widen like soccer balls, and the blood drain from your face. You opened your mouth, but you could utter no words.

He trembled next to you, totally confused. He was a dark marvel with the chiseled build you always savored. Maybe you left me because of my looks, but that thought only enraged me more. He started offering everything he had on him. I told him I wanted you. I would either have you or kill him—and he offered you to me like common property.

I saw the hurt in your eyes — I saw it in the way you looked at him, and I basked in satisfaction because I knew I would have taken this bullet for you! But not this time. So, I aim, and I bluntly pull the trigger. The blasts from the muzzle were all there was, and I relished in watching the two of you cower in fear. But those were just blanks, and this was my way of closure.

You can also enjoy:

• Bondage: Start Again
• Contemplations
• Innocents Unheard

Author’s note

Blurred Image was supposed to be my first try at poetry, but I ended up dabbling in fiction. I really hope you liked reading it! If you did, please leave a comment for the book and share it with your friends.

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My name is Racheal Asikpo. I can take the creative weight of completing your stories. I can also give you 70% distance from the writing and research. I offer ghostwriting, developmental editing and copyediting services. How about you allow a fresh pair of eyes give you a fresh breath of air?

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