When you read a life altering event in a newspaper, you expect it to be on the front page with a huge headline screaming at you in large black letters. You don't expect it to be tucked neatly on the twelfth page of the classified ads in the form of a black and white picture.
But there it was for the whole world to see; Superstar Craig Manning marries in lavish Toronto wedding. Your heart skips a beat and before you realize it, a tear makes it way down your cheek followed quickly by another. You knew the day would come that eventually you'd have to face the reality that he'd moved on even if you hadn't.
Your thin finger traces the line of his cheek, the curl of his hair as you remember all the good times and bad times the two of you'd shared. Of the way it ended so abruptly that years later you still hadn't been able to grasp what really went wrong.
Another look at the picture leaves you grateful that the girl beside him isn't the dark haired temptress that had kept the two of you apart. The girl he'd chosen when you wanted him to choose you. It does little to conceal that ache in your heart that had been holding out hope that the someday you dreamed of could still one day come true.
That's when you realize that the tears have stopped, leaving you with a bittersweet feeling you don't understand. You always thought that when the news came that Craig had tied the knot with some runway supermodel, you'd cry until you couldn't cry anymore. You never realized that it would only last fifteen minutes. But after six years of crying because of your lost love, you figure there probably aren't any tears left.
You neatly fold the paper up, tucking it away for safe keeping even though you know you'll never pull it out again. With a deep breath you wipe away the tear stains, looking up at the clock then back at the television. The people in Time Square have already begun the countdown to the New Year. 5. And you face the New Year with a sadness and yet free falling. 4. Because love really is about wanting the other person to be happy. 3. And it really seems like he is. 2. And that really is all you've ever wanted. 1. As the New Year rings in, you smile because the New Year is all about new beginnings and when one door closes another opens.