A week after they graduated from high school, he told her that he was
leaving for Metropolis. There was no warning. They were happy. It
appeared to come out of nowhere. It started off as a normal afternoon, one
of the last ones, before they were forced to grow up and act like adults.
She stood in stunned silence and then started screaming, sobbing, pleading with him to stay. He held her as she begged for him to reconsider. And then he made love to her as she cried, their last night together. Afterwards, he told her the truth. Who and what he really was. She wasn't shocked. She said nothing, just nodding, trying to absorb the information. He thought she was handling it well.
Under normal circumstances he would have been startled by her behavior, so unlike her. But these were not normal circumstances. He expected her to be devastated by the truth, the truth he'd hidden from her for so many years. But she barely seemed to notice, too hysterical at the thought of losing him. Later, when he looked back on it, he knew he should have seen through the calm façade, should have tried to help her, should have told her more gently. She did all of the things expected of a distraught girlfriend. And when she left him and locked the door behind her she went home and did something he'd never had figured she would even consider.
He found her the next morning, seemingly asleep on her bed. He touched her and got no response. Her skin cold, he turned her over. Eyes wide, face ashen, lips blue, a white, foamy substance spilling from her mouth. He grasped for the bottle that had fallen from her hand. Empty. He ran to the phone, and called for an ambulance. There was no note, no explanation for what she'd done, just an eerie silence every time he spoke to her later. He rode to the hospital with her, waited in the emergency room as the doctors pumped her stomach. He was the first one in her room when she regained consciousness. They didn't talk about it. They didn't talk about anything at all.
A week later she allowed him to accompany her to bus station. She sat frozen in the front seat as he hugged her tightly, using strength she had never before noticed he possessed. Her startled expression proved to him that perhaps he had frightened her more then he thought when he told her the reason he was leaving. She pulled away from him and felt for her bag in the backseat. He reached for her again. He needed to tell her once more that he loved her, to whisper in her ear that it would all work out for them in the end. Lies that he prayed she'd believe. She flinched at his touch and shrugged out of his grasp. She unlocked the door and got out of the car. He watched as she shut the door and walked away slowly. He wanted to run to her, tell her that he'd stay, that he needed her, wanted her, and would be with her forever. His hand was on the door handle when she turned around, a blank expression on her face, eyes unblinking. She walked back to the car. He watched unmoving as she brought two fingers to her lips, kissed them lightly, and pressed them gently against the window. She stared at him silently, sadly, for a moment and then took a deep, pained breath and walked away, out of his life forever.
She stood in stunned silence and then started screaming, sobbing, pleading with him to stay. He held her as she begged for him to reconsider. And then he made love to her as she cried, their last night together. Afterwards, he told her the truth. Who and what he really was. She wasn't shocked. She said nothing, just nodding, trying to absorb the information. He thought she was handling it well.
Under normal circumstances he would have been startled by her behavior, so unlike her. But these were not normal circumstances. He expected her to be devastated by the truth, the truth he'd hidden from her for so many years. But she barely seemed to notice, too hysterical at the thought of losing him. Later, when he looked back on it, he knew he should have seen through the calm façade, should have tried to help her, should have told her more gently. She did all of the things expected of a distraught girlfriend. And when she left him and locked the door behind her she went home and did something he'd never had figured she would even consider.
He found her the next morning, seemingly asleep on her bed. He touched her and got no response. Her skin cold, he turned her over. Eyes wide, face ashen, lips blue, a white, foamy substance spilling from her mouth. He grasped for the bottle that had fallen from her hand. Empty. He ran to the phone, and called for an ambulance. There was no note, no explanation for what she'd done, just an eerie silence every time he spoke to her later. He rode to the hospital with her, waited in the emergency room as the doctors pumped her stomach. He was the first one in her room when she regained consciousness. They didn't talk about it. They didn't talk about anything at all.
A week later she allowed him to accompany her to bus station. She sat frozen in the front seat as he hugged her tightly, using strength she had never before noticed he possessed. Her startled expression proved to him that perhaps he had frightened her more then he thought when he told her the reason he was leaving. She pulled away from him and felt for her bag in the backseat. He reached for her again. He needed to tell her once more that he loved her, to whisper in her ear that it would all work out for them in the end. Lies that he prayed she'd believe. She flinched at his touch and shrugged out of his grasp. She unlocked the door and got out of the car. He watched as she shut the door and walked away slowly. He wanted to run to her, tell her that he'd stay, that he needed her, wanted her, and would be with her forever. His hand was on the door handle when she turned around, a blank expression on her face, eyes unblinking. She walked back to the car. He watched unmoving as she brought two fingers to her lips, kissed them lightly, and pressed them gently against the window. She stared at him silently, sadly, for a moment and then took a deep, pained breath and walked away, out of his life forever.
