Someone in the Back of a Crowd
by GK The Wizard
Eleanor never saw Park again. Well she did, but only in her dreams. At first he would visit her every night, but as the years flew by, he would only visit once or twice a year. And when he did, he became blurred out, at first she couldn't see little things, and later the most important things, like his smile.
After a while she couldn't remember the way he walked, or his voice, but she could still remember his comic books and his mix tapes and his dark eyeliner, all the things that made him Park.
Eleanor sometimes wondered if Park still remembered her, she hoped so, because he was the only one who truly knew sixteen year old Eleanor. The Eleanor who loved his comic books, his mix tapes and his dark eyeliner. Even Eleanor couldn't fully remember that girl, and she was glad, because that Eleanor was in so much pain. A pain that the only anesthetic for was Park, and she didn't have him anymore.
And so, after all this time, once in a while she would see someone in the back of a crowd and she would be certain it was him, but when she would get closer she could see how his eyes were round and his smile was just a bit off. To tell the truth she wasn't sure if she wanted the person to be Park or not. She had no idea what to say to him after she had failed him so greatly.
Eleanor's mother never left Richie, not even after that day. Eleanor went to her funeral, and despite all the pain her mother caused her, she cried like she had never cried in her whole life.
Her siblings forgave her for leaving them, but she never did. She left everyone, her family, Park, her life.
So she made a promise, a promise to her children to stay, and so, for once in her life she stayed.
She used to tell them about the adventures of Ella and Park, about comic books, and music and unanswered letters, but then they grew older, and also grew bored.
She watched as her children fell in love for the first time, and had their hearts broken. She watched as more and more comic books became movies, and as pop music replaced the grand rock, but she never forgot.
Though Eleanor didn't regret her choices, she could still imagine growing old with him, having kids with him, or even going to prom at his side, but she knew that somethings are meant to end in order for them to stay beautiful forever.
And they were beautiful, they were a piece of art, they were two colours combined that created a whole new color, never seen before, or ever to be seen again.
They were Eleanor and Park, Park and Eleanor, they weren't meant to look nice, they were art.