Of Churches, Cherry Blossoms, and Memories

This is a short story I wrote, inspired by a small church in the middle of my hometown.

 Juliet could feel the small doses of adrenaline her body was administering to her every few seconds. It ran cold through her veins in pulses, but she didn't really care. Today was difficult enough as it was without her body acting up.

She felt alone. Though she was constantly receiving a string of text messages from people whom she had various feelings about; none were from him so none of them mattered. He still held her heart, even though he had lied and betrayed her, and he was still the only person she felt like talking to at any given time.

"Adrian..." she heard her heart whisper, and her mouth followed suit. This snapped Juliet, who had been day dreaming, back into her present reality. There was only one way to get this torture over with, and that was to indulge in it.

Juliet left the house and locked the front door, stuffing her keys into her pocket and letting the "International Thespian Society" lanyard hang out proudly. She walked at a brisk pace to the curb where she managed to hail a taxi cab without much hastle. Giving the driver the exact amount of money required, she requested a location exactly two blocks away from her favorite spot to sit and think. A spot where she and Adrian used to spend a considerable amount of time. Upon arrival at her destination, she walked the rest of the way to her intented place: a small church.

The church in question was made of sturdy brick, worn from harsh weather but still strong. The parking lot was twice the size of the building. Seperating both the church and parking lot from the street were three medians, each containing it's own row of cherry blossom trees that had a habit of blooming in late April. Planted in the middle median, on the side nearest to the road, was a post that held two green rectangles that each displayed a street name. One read "SE 3rd Street" while the other simply stated "Holly Street".

Juliet found her favorite tree, one placed nearest the street signs, and sat at it's base. She wore blue jeans- torn from years of use- and an old tee shirt of Adrian's that he had once given her, so she had no fear of getting dirty from sitting. The grass was cool beneath her hands, and this comforted Juliet ever so slightly. She momentarily closed her jade green eyes and felt her lidded gaze wonder. When she reopened them, her eyes rested on the tree's trunk.

Near it's base was a scar where a pocket knife had once engraved "A+J Forever". She felt a twinge of humour arise at how childish this seemed, though it had occured mere months before. She touched the inscription softly and lovingly with her left hand. The bark was smooth under her fingertips and she began tracing the letters. Turning her hand to let her fingers follow the simple writing, the light caught her ring and held it for a breath's length.

The ring was simple, frosted sterling silver with one twist in the middle that seperated two small diamonds. It encompassed the ring finger on her left hand, having been a promise ring from Adrian. Understandably, it had become her most prized possession ever since he left. On the inside of the ring, like with the tree, was engraved meaningful words. These words, "Klein Ein", were German but held great value for Juliet. She would never tell anyone what they meant. A spark ignited in her mind as one memory in particular emerged from the rest that clouded her brain. She clearly remembered that, had her ring size been slightly larger, Adrian would have had "Ich Liebe Sie" engraved on the inside instead. "I Love You". It was a shame he didn't anymore.

With this memory came many others, and with those came emotions, building and multiplying until Juliet was sure her heart and mind would explode. All her thoughts overflowed in the form of a never-ending stream of tears. Juliet's sobs shook her for many minutes, drawing worried glances from those who passed by her on the street, but Juliet didn't care. This was her way of decompressing without burdening anyone.

Slowly, Juliet's tears ran dry near sunset, and she knew it was time to return home. Standing, she couldn't shake the constant hope that Adrian would show up to comfort her. She knew it was an irrational hope, but it always dwelled within her heart whenever she would visit that spot. Juliet dusted herself off, content with the way that the pain in her heart had rendered into a dull ache. She looked around one last time, hoping for any sign of Adrian's presence. Seeing she was all alone, her heart sank with the sun, and she reluctantly began her trek back home.