Feb. 16, 2011
6:30 pm
Juliet tried to talk herself out of it for the millionth time. This was a crazy idea. She sat in the same spot, a hauntingly familiar feeling in her stomach. It was a year ago that she had sat in this train station for hours, starting her quest for her long-lost boyfriend. Now she was begging history not to repeat itself. She needed to see Scott, even if it was to tell him that she was no longer interested in getting together.
"Juliet!" his loud voice called out over the bustle of the station.
"Scott!" she called back. The two hugged, and Juliet was glad that she could see him again. "How are you doing?"
"Good. I got a job in Michigan documenting artifacts for a museum," Scott said.
"Really? Wow, that's great," Juliet congratulated him.
"What about you? What's up?"
Juliet suddenly clammed up, not knowing if she wanted to reveal all. "Well, things are good."
"Good, good."
The two fell silent and Juliet didn't know how to break it. Scott finally breached it. "A year ago, I told you that I didn't know who I was anymore. I've had time to think, and I've come to realize that my life isn't complete without you."
"Scott," Juliet whispered, trying to stop him.
"No, I need to tell you everything. I set up a job interview in Santa Barbara. It's a small museum, and the pay isn't as good. But it's worth it to me to be near you."
"Scott," Juliet said more forcefully.
"Don't try to hold me back. I need to be with you."
"Scott, I'm with someone," Juliet saw Scott's face fall. "I'm really sorry. It's just…"
"No, I understand. Things happen." Scott's shoulders sunk, and she wished she could see him happy again. It hurt even more that she still had more to tell him.
"It's Shawn," she murmured, hoping that would soften the blow for him.
"Well, at least it's a worthy opponent."
Juliet could tell Scott was getting competitive, and she didn't want him to get his hopes up. She fished into her purse, ready to drop the bombshell. "We're engaged," she announced, slipping the diamond solitaire Shawn had given her just two days ago onto her finger. She had hidden it from Scott so she could tell him herself rather than let the ring do it for her.
"Wow. Congratulations." Scott looked defeated, and Juliet suddenly saw him as much shorter than she remembered.
"I'm so sorry. I kept debating with myself whether to come or not, but I knew how crushed I was last year when you didn't show up. I couldn't do that to you."
"So, where do we go from here?" Scott asked, his eyes pleading with her.
"Well, I'm happy to show you around Santa Barbara, maybe go to the beach while you're here. I would hate for you to waste a whole trip out here." Juliet tried to keep their friendship intact.
"No, you know what? I think I'll just head to the airport. I could still catch a flight out tonight." Juliet could tell that Scott was crushed by all this.
"Okay." The two headed out of the station to hail a cab.
"So, I guess this is a real goodbye," Scott said as a taxi pulled up to the curb.
"Yeah. I know it's hard, but, we've had our moment. Some people just don't fit," Juliet echoed the words she told Shawn all those months ago. And the proof that she had made the right choice at that time was that instead of trying to talk her out of it, Scott just nodded and got into the cab.
As she watched Scott ride off, Juliet looked down at her ring, and once again knew that she had made the right choice.
