Chapter 2
Luka
"Keep your distance at some point…"
I couldn't stand to read any further in this book on how you get over a divorce. We haven't quite divorced yet. Actually, I've been too much of a coward to tell him. I know he wants to stay together, even if this has been a hard marriage. His sweetness, his benevolence to others, and how caring he was always comes across my mind. We sit on the old dusty couch we've had ever since we moved in together, watching a favored movie of ours. Finally, I attempt to explain our marriage to him.
"We're…falling apart..."
I looked over at him. His eyes were closed.
"I knew this was going to come someday" he muttered after a while. "Luka, I want to show you something."
He grabbed a DVD from behind the television and inserted it into the VCR. A blurry figure appeared on the television. The figure was recognized as he and I, many years ago while we were in middle school. I still had short hair, and I was in my old uniform. This was our first date. While I held onto him as he was on his bike, we explored the beautiful streets of Hiroshima. Beautiful phone charm he bought me of a bejeweled microphone still hangs on my phone and always will. The two middle-schoolers we watched had large smiles as they embraced each other tightly. The tape moved onto another event. We just graduated from high school. After taking the train home, we walked to a nearby field were we lay down together, we laughed, we talked, we kissed.
After that clip, the most memorable tape came across the screen. Our wedding day. I saw my long dress, the cheering guests, our happy smiles…
I looked over at him as I tried to hold back tears. But, tears were streaming down his face also. I didn't want to see him be pained like this anymore, and I left. Curling up in my covers, I cried. I thought about how happy we always were together, our warm smiles as we cuddled, our kiss on our wedding day…it hurt too much. I heard his footsteps come closer and closer. Shutting my eyes tight, I awaited another beating from him. But it never came. His soft arms embraced me. I felt his tears fall onto the blanket as he held me tighter and tighter.
"This is the best decision for us, isn't it…"
For the next hour, we both explained to each other how we both knew our marriage was falling apart. It was painful for us to do this, but we finally decided to divorce the weekend later. We both tried to hold back tears that day, the pain was too much. After that eventful day, he packed up his stuff and left. He had already found an apartment for himself. I wished him luck as I watched him drive off into the city. We were both happy for each other. Why? We both found the life that is truly the best for us. No matter how long and how hard it was to find the perfect place for ourselves in the world.