-Picking up the Pieces

"Tai…I'm so sorry…"

Sora's eyes began to swell and started to feel extremely heavy. The excess weight on her eyes forced her to let out tears that slowly caressed her cheeks as they rolled down her warm face. Uncontrollable sadness took hold of her and gripped her tight.

"Tai, I'm so sorry for what I said…had I known…"

"Sora," Tai interrupted her and looked at her intently. His eyes reflected a broken man mending a dying heart.

He picked up his will to speak and whimpered to Sora, "I wish I had known as well."

"Tai! C'mon dear we are gonna be late!"

"I know Mimi, gimme a break will ya? I need to grab something warm."

Tai wore a huge smile on his face as he grabbed his coat and scarf. Mimi smiled back at him as he walked to the front door. As he put on his coat, fast flashbacks of their first date, the day he proposed, and their honeymoon all rushed back to Tai. He and Mimi had celebrated their year anniversary the week before and they were heading out to go to Davis' ramen shop to see the old gang for the first time in a while. At the door, Tai wrestled with his scarf and tried to put it on to no effect.

"Gosh, Tai," Mimi said with a laugh, "you are still absolutely terrible at putting on a scarf."

"Well, I'm glad I have you there right beside me to remind me how."

"Well, you better learn quick, dear."

"Perhaps I don't want to learn…that way I'll always have you with me to fix it."

Mimi finished fixing the scarf and looked up to Tai. She stared at his defined face and his new haircut. He had decided that it was time to finally cut his hair shorter so that it looked a lot more refined and suave. Mimi slid her hands down from the scarf to his waist and clutched on tightly.

"Tai…I'll never leave your side," Mimi said softly. Tai wrapped his arms around Mimi and pulled her in closer to him. He dipped a little lower so he could see Mimi's rustic, brown eyes. Mimi had changed considerably from high school; she traded pink hair for a more natural bronze yet she kept her same slim figure. She was wearing dark, abyss-blue jeans that matched Tai's and had on a heavy fur coat for the winter. Tai smiled and fell instantly in love again with Mimi while emotional fireworks lit up his heart.

Looking at her straight he said, "and I wouldn't want it any other way."

Clutching even tighter, Mimi rose off her heels and kissed Tai passionately. As he kissed her, Tai's memory of their first played in his mind. The color of this vision was pastel and warm, almost a watercolor feel to it. The memory played back smooth and soft as if brushes were painting it right on the spot. It was an autumn afternoon and the sun was slowly setting on the bridge that situated itself right next to Tai's apartment. Mimi ran in front of Tai and stood on the bridge and replayed a scene from Titanic. Tai caught up to her and mimicked her movements. Mimi ended up losing her balance and the two fell on the ground with Tai breaking the fall for her. The two laughed at the funny incident as they got up and brushed off the small bits of gravel from the sidewalk. Tai reached over to Mimi's jacket and adjusted it so that it looked even. Right as he finished, Mimi grabbed his arms softly and pulled him closer. He couldn't help but feel elated sharing his first sunset kiss.

After Mimi and Tai's little moment at the front door Mimi looked down at her watch.

"Shit! Tai we're gonna be late!" Mimi exclaimed as she laughed playfully. Hand in hand, the happy couple ran out the front door into the winter night.

Sora finished making coffee and brought it over to the dinner table where Tai was sat in a seemingly lifeless fashion. She couldn't help but feel terrible that she said all the things she did. Still, Tai hadn't muttered a word since she helped him up off the ground and onto the dinner table. Once he situated himself at the head of the table, he remained motionless and just stared at the green table placement.

Sora placed the coffee in front of Tai and sat and waited for him to speak. During that time, she put her on life into perspective and looked at the marriage she shared with Matt. She remembered blissfully the day she got married and wore a weak smile on her face as she looked upon Tai's sad expression.

Oh Tai…I feel so sorry for you. Sora thought in her mind.

"Right after the reunion…we came back to the apartment." Tai had finally snapped out of his mood and was looking straight at Sora. He raised his arms off from his lap and clutched the steaming ceramic cup of coffee. He took a sip and grimaced a little from the heat. Tai always had a cat tongue for hot beverages. Composing himself, he then continued.

"We walked through the door and started to get ready for the night. Mimi took off her coat and went to the fridge. She opened it and noticed that there were no more water bottles. Of all the things she felt was the most important to have in a fridge was always a water bottle.

"She then stopped and looked at me and asked, 'dear, where do we keep the water?' I was a tad confused because Mimi never asked where the water was; it was always tucked in the corner next to the TV in the living room. I figured she must have been tired from the night and just had a lapse of memory and I told her where it was.

"'Oh, haha. I'm so tired, dear,' she told me playfully. She smiled wide; that same smile she wears that reassures me that everything is alright." Tai paused and tensed up a little more.

"Tai, I'm right here," Sora said to make him feel a little more comfortable.

Tai took a big breath and another sip of coffee and said, "then two years later she forgets where the house keys are and other small things like that. It got worse and worse over the years and finally we thought it might be a good idea to see a doctor about eight years ago. She took all the tests and was diagnosed with Stage 2 Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease. The next night after the doctor's visit was spent fighting through tears…but I promised her that I would never leave her side…even if it meant being with her and not you guys. I will always be faithful to her no matter what the circumstances are"

Sora put her hands to her mouth and started to cry. She felt even worse about the situation. She wondered if Tai had found out about his best friend Matt and how she helped him break Mimi's heart.

"What are you talking about Matt? This can't be true"

"Mimi, I'm sorry I love you too."

"Shut up Matt…you're nothing but a fucking loser!"

"No, I didn't want this to happen! What do you think this past year has meant to us."

"Obviously nothing! You've been with her for the past four months don't lie! I saw the letter she wrote to you asking to go away to Hawaii for the summer…what were you planning on doing there?"

"You don't understand, Mimi! It's not hat you think!"

"Of course I do. She told me yesterday that I better watch my own back and that I needed to ask you what's up. Who would've thought? Matt, you're the worst human being ever."

"Look…honestly, I love Sora too…I want to have both of you, but I know I can't."

"Then why don't you pick me instead? We found each other first."

"I'm sorry…we just…can't be together"

"Matt, don't leave! Don't turn away from me without telling me!"

"I'm sorry…just…"