I rolled up my sleeping bag and propped it up beside me, as I sat on the corner. I've been sitting here since yesterday and I knew I had a lot more waiting to do. The only things I valued most in the world, I had brought with me; a sleeping bag, a backpack filled with food and water bottles, an acoustic guitar, a cardboard sign, and a picture of her.
I picked up my guitar, tuned it, and then started playing some random melody. At first people just continued walking briskly by me but by noon a few stayed to listen. I wasn't really playing for attention; I just needed something to do as I passed the time waiting. The small crowd of people, who were listening, clapped as I finished. I smiled and bowed my head in thanks.
The crowd began to disappear except a few who stayed behind to reach in their pockets and wallets to pull out money and loose change. I then realized it was the perfect opportunity to ask for help.
As an old man hands me money, I just kindly shake my head and say," No, you don't understand. I'm not broke. I'm just a broken hearted man."
I then picked up the sign and picture, and held them out for him to look at.
"If you see this girl, can you tell her where I am?" I ask him. He squints at the picture for a couple seconds then backs up and nods.
"I'll see what I can do." he says and the rest of the few people still there nodded to.
"I hope you find her." he says before walking away with the others.
"I do to..." I whisper back sadly.
-A week later-
I snooze quietly in my sleeping bag with my sign still in my hands. I abruptly wake up when I felt a gentle but firm hand shake my shoulder. I slowly open my eyes to see a middle-aged cop looking down at me with concern.
"Son, I'm sorry but you can't stay here." he says.
"I know...but I'm waiting for someone." I tell him.
"How long will it be for them to be here?" He asks.
"A day, a week, a month, or a year...if not longer sir..." I quietly answer back truthfully.
He sighs and shakes his head but doesn't answer for a while; probably having an inner conflict with himself. Taking a look at my sign, he finally says, "Do you have a picture of her?"
I nod and held it out to him. He stares at it for a long time before sighing again.
"I don't usually do this." He whispers quietly. I just sit there waiting.
"Just try to take care of yourself out here kid." He says before walking away.
"Thank you sir." I say after him.
"Also..." he says stopping and turning to look at me once more.
"Yeah?" I say.
"I hope you find her." He says and walks away.
-A month later-
I tried to cover my shivering body up more as the rain poured down heavily. Besides being totally drenched, I was almost frozen to where I sat. My sign was ruined, I was running low on both food and water but I couldn't leave. I didn't want to leave. I was beyond miserable and the only thing keeping me sane were the memories of her and me. I slowly smile as all the pain disappeared and the memories came back.
I raced quickly down the street in hopes of making it to work on time.
"Bloody hell! Boss is really gonna kill me this time!" I say to myself as I look at my watch. I picked up my pace. I continued looking at my watch, hoping that I forgot to set the time back and that I was actually an hour early.
I rounded the corner and met the love of my life.
She was beautiful. Eventhough, she was standing and gaping while covered in spilled coffee, she was still beautiful.
"S-sorry. I'm so so very sorry!" I stammered like an idiot.
"It's quite alright." She smiles stunningly at me and digs through her purse to look for a napkin.
"Here use mine." I say quickly pulling out a handkerchief from my pocket and handing it to her.
"Thank you." She smiles taking it from me and dries herself off.
"Can I buy you another coffee?" I ask.
"No. That's okay." She says shaking her head.
"Well c-can I buy you something else to wear?" I ask desperately not wanting to lose her so soon.
She slowly smiles and nods her head. I smile back and held out my hand.
"I'm Ron by the way..."
"Hermione..." She says taking my hand.
Other memories flash through my mind also. From our first date to when I proposed to her. From our wedding night to our first fight. From us arguing to her finally leaving.
"Appy anniversary darling!" I slur. I drunkenly stumble across the room to Hermione.
"...You reek of alcohol..." She says pushing me away as I try to kiss her.
"So...? I-I gots you a present!" I say excitedly handing her a big and expensive teddy bear. She looks at it, takes it from me, and throws it on the floor.
"What the bloody hell!" I shout at her.
"You always do that!" She shouts back.
"What? Buy you gifts? I didn't know it was a crime to buy the one I love presents?" I say.
"No...that's not it. You're always late on Valentine's Day, my birthday and even our anniversary. Then you come stumbling in smelling like alcohol and perfume from a strip joint. And on top of that you expect to buy back my forgiveness with expensive gifts." She says. I continue to stare at the floor, inhaling and exhaling loudly.
"I can't live like this anymore Ron..." She whispers softly.
"But I always show up...right?" I ask picking up the bear.
"Yes..." she says.
"But that's not good enough for you is it?" I say raising my voice as I continue to examine the bear in my hands. She doesn't say anything.
"And you have your flaws to..." I say turning towards her.
"But I always put up with your shit without complaining. I do it with a smile. A BLOODY SMILE!" I shout at her.
"Ron I...-" she says before I cut her off.
"No fuck that! I don't want to hear your freaking accuses! If you can't live like this anymore, why don't you just get out, you ungrateful bitch!" I angrily shout, throwing the teddy bear at her.
"F-fine I will! I don't have to put up with this." She says throwing the bear back at me and walking to her room.
I pour myself a glass of vodka as she comes back with suitcases in her hands. She heads toward the door and stops. I watch her for a while.
"Go on," I say lowering the glass, "get out."
She turns and looks at me with tears streaming down her face.
"Ron...hopefully that's just the alcohol talking...if it is, when you finally realized your mistake and have changed...you...you know where I'll be." She says. I snort.
"Don't count on it." I sneer at her.
She looks at me and then turns to leave. Before going she looks over her shoulder and says, "Well you won't find me then..."
I stare at the door as it closed.
"That's cause I won't be looking for you!" I shout back but the only reply I got was silence.
I take one last drink of my liquor before throwing the glass at the wall. I watch the drink and glass shards fall to the floor.
"Fuck it, I'm going to bed." I kicked the bear lying on the floor and headed towards the now just mine, room.
Hermione was right. She was always fucking right. I endlessly searched for her when she refused to answer my calls. I checked all her favorite spots to go, nothing. I called both her friends and family, they knew nothing. I went to her workplace and they told me she quitted weeks ago.
I panicked and drunk myself into oblivion before realizing that alcohol was the reason I was in this situation. I stayed at home, sitting in a chair next to the phone and the front the door just in case she decided to come back. Until one day I got a call. I desperately grabbed the phone on the first ring.
"H-hermione...?" I whisper weakly into the receiver.
"No. No, it's just me Harry." says Harry Potter, my best friend on the other line.
"Oh..."
"Gosh Ron...you sound terrible. Haven't you been getting any rest?" He asks concerned.
"Shut up. You'd be like this to if you were in my shoes. What do you want? If its not important then I'm hanging up now." I tell him obviously annoyed.
"Wait! I've seen Hermione." He says quickly.
"You have! Where?!"
"Well...Now that I think about it I'm not really sure it was her. I mean it looked like her from behind..." He rambles on.
"Where did you see her?!" I shout angrily. I can hear and picture him flinching. We both are quiet for a few seconds which felt like hours.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Harry...it's just now I've become a desperate wreck...So will you please tell me where Harry..." I whisper.
He must've heard the shaking in my voice and could tell that I was almost on the verge of tears.
"Well I saw her walking by on the corner of the street. The one where the coffee shop is."
"Why didn't you stop her?!"
"Well at the time I didn't think about it I was in a hurry. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Thanks anyway mate!" I say hurriedly.
"You're welcome but I doubt she's still there. Plus I'm not even sure that was her. Ron...Ron?" He says but I was already out the door.
I visited that corner often before just deciding to camp out on it, hoping to see her walking by.
I shake my head frantically trying to stop the flashbacks. Tears mixed with rain.
"I'm sorry Hermione." I sobbed quietly holding and rocking myself back and forth.
-A year later-
"Excuse me, sir? But do you have a minute?" asks a professionally dressed woman.
"Well, at the moment I'm waiting on someone. But I guess I can spare a moment." I say glancing around.
"Great! You guys start rolling the camera, I think we finally found that top story to film about." She says to her work team.
*Hermione's point of view*
She sighs as she flipped through the tv channels.
"Why is there always nothing good on." she grumbles to herself.
"I'm Sasha McGuire, and I'm here interviewing, 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved'. He's been sitting here for about a year now. Waiting for a girl right?"
"Tch. They'll have anybody on the news."
She shakes her head and points the remote at the tv. As she is about to turn it off, she gasps when she sees the next face that pops on the screen. Even with his long shaggy hair and scruffy beard, Hermione could recognize him anywhere.
*Ron's point of view*
"Yes." I answer.
"Well how do you know if she'll come back here to this very spot?" the news anchor asks me.
"I don't," I say truthfully, "But I gotta stand my ground, even if it rains or snows. If she ever changes her mind this is the first place she will go."
"Wow...if she's happen to be watching this, is there anything you would like to tell her?" the news anchor asks me.
"No...but I liked to sing a song for her..." I say reaching for my guitar.
"Oh? I didn't know you could sing to." exclaims the news anchor.
"Well I'm not the next American idol...but I hope she will see past all that..." I say while tuning my guitar. I then strum it for a couple minutes before singing.
Going back to the corner where I first saw you
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move
Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hand
Saying 'if you see this girl can you tell her where I am'
Some try to hand me money, they don't understand
I'm not broke, I'm just a broken hearted man
I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you
Policeman says son you can't stay here
I said there's someone I'm waiting for if it's a day, a month, a year
Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows
If she changes her mind this is the first place she will go
People talk about the guy
Who's waiting on a girl,
There are no holes in his shoes
But a big hole in his world
Maybe I'll get famous as the man who can't be moved
And maybe you won't mean to but you'll see me on the news
And you'll come running to the corner
Cause you'll know it's just for you
I'm the man who can't be moved
I'm the man who can't be moved
Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be
Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we meet
Oh, you see me waiting for you on a corner of the street
So I'm not moving
I'm not moving
I'm not moving
Going back to the corner where I first saw you
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move."
I finish the song with tears streaming down my face. I look up when I hear an applaud. When I glance at the faces of the big crowd of people, I notice that I wasn't the only one fighting tears.
"That was beautiful" sniffs the news anchor as she wipes her eyes. I just nod, at the moment I wasn't sure I could talk without my voice cracking.
"Well, that's it for now. Back to you John." says the news anchor towards the camera.
The crew packs up and the crowd disappears. Before getting into the van, the news anchor turns towards me and says, "Good luck. I hope you find her."
I nod back as my smile begins to tremble.
-later that day-
"Ron...?"
At first, I just continue sleeping thinking it was only in my dreams but I heard it again.
"Ron!"
I finally look up to find Hermione staring at me. She was crying but she looked happy as she held her hand at me. I stare at her, fearing if I moved she'll disappear like she always do.
"Even now in my dreams you always tortured me to the brink of insanity..." I whisper softly as I turn away from her.
"No darling, I'm really here." Hermione says turning my head so I would look back at her. She stares at me and then kisses me.
At first I'm too shocked to move, but as she pulls away, I quickly grab her and kissed her back passionately. After a few minutes we broke apart for air.
"You came. You actually came back." I whispered as I hugged her tightly.
"Of course I came back. After seeing you on the news like this. I still can't believe you waited here for a year! What were you thinking Ron?!" Hermione says hugging me back.
"I was thinking that you were right and I was wrong. That I will always love you. And I would've waited longer if I had to but I'm glad you finally came, because I doubted I would've lasted another year."
"Ron you're such an idiot. But you're my idiot." She says kissing me again.
"Also..."
"Mhm..?"
"You seriously need to take a shower...and brushing your teeth wouldn't hurt..."
I don't say anything but smile as I grab my stuff and take Hermione's hand. Then both her and I make our way home.