Short Story number 7

Short Story number 7: Inspired by the song «Love don’t leave me waiting» by Glen Hansard from the solo album Rhythm And Repose. 

        The time was 22:00 pm on a Sunday night. It was the day of the week she chose to pamper herself with a bubble bath. She closed her eyes and sunk her body in the bathtub. The close contact of the water with her body kept her mind clear and sharp. Great is the power of water. It pushes us closer to our human origins. Like wild horses, her thoughts wandered through the fringes of her life.

A long time ago she trained herself to dissect the ordinary routines that everyone takes for granted and find beauty in them. So, every day, she neglected the obvious and chased the simple details which are generally right in front of us, hence, habitually overlooked. Having found them, she would explore the core of the unexpected, lose herself within the realms of the improbable, and plunge into the depths of the unknown, because she knew, that those seemingly ordinary manifestations, hid many significant moments which are often the gateways to a happier and meaningful existence.

She appeared to have achieved all the goals most people consider to be the cornerstone of a successful life and for that she was envied. But there was one thing that seemed to dodge every attempt to be apprehended and still remained a mystery to her. And that thing was love. She longed for the unquestionable certainty that the real feeling infuses into every inch of one’s being, obliterating the tiniest specks of doubts, that circle around one’s willingness to let the guard down, like hungry sharks waiting to feed on the prey.

 But, the more she chased it, the more it got away from her, the harder she tried to make it work, the faster it broke apart and disappeared into thin air. Every time she thought she was close to her destination, a succession of unpredictable and improbable events, seemed to converge together, making her lose her way, and all her efforts to grasp its essence would end ingloriously, without leaving a visible trace, condemned to slowly fade away like an old photograph neglected by time.

 She had been relentlessly enduring her search with serenity on her heart and a smile on her face, for she realized that certain things cannot be forced, as they demand from the future bearers a meticulous preparation, which can only be earned by the sum of all the defeats.

She learned to tame her expectations and accept the fact that, all the variables implicated on her quest to find the pure feeling are beyond one’s control. Yet, she trusted that the universe will whisper on her ear the exact coordinates to guide her to this secluded place where magic happens and two unsuspected beings can finally find each other.

Until that moment finally arrives, she would resist the temptation of following the easiest path and solemnly refuse to deny the possibility of the existence of this inexplicable bond that can be mysteriously woven between two souls and stand the test of times. 

The time was now 22:49 pm and it started to rain outside. She carefully listened to the gentle sound of the raindrops on the window pane and felt the melody of this mysterious and comforting music, wrap its magic around her, like the protective arms of a loved one. She opened her eyes and acknowledged the perfection of that precise moment and surrender to its beauty, for it was right there that life truly unfolded.

By Raquel R.