Duality: Love and Loss

A Story by rutgersstudent

This is just a short little piece that I made to try and test my use of duality. It is exaggerated in that sense. Please leave any feedback on it.

Enter the girl. The girl that would change my world- the girl who would become my world. The beauty of all of God’s creation, both in this world and beyond cannot come close to her, rather an opening act to the main show. Her eyes were like sunsets, a vibrant gold that shined in any light that brought joy to my heart when I saw them. Her skin, a deep tan, was always smooth to the touch, and had a pleasant coconut aroma. Her smile radiated any room that she was in, bringing with it a sense of calm and joy that could salvage even the worst of days. Her soul perhaps was the most beautiful part of her being, far greater than mine own.

It was the beginning of my first year of high school that I first laid eyes on the girl, ________, in the hallways of Shawnee High School. She was wearing a yellow dress with a small blue pattern that complimented her tan skin. I was with my best friends, John- an energetic kid with blonde hair who would always find the levity of any situation we found ourselves in- and Henry- a more serious kid with black hair who was the point-guard of our group (he always came up with the plans), and we were in the middle of our lap around the circular hallways of our school. ______ was walking with her friends too, one smaller girl with blonde hair who’s name escapes me now, and another who was a bit on the taller side named Jessica, but my eyes were only focused on her. At 7:05 on my way into my homeroom Brian thought it would be funny to give me a nice shove instead of a “see ya later”, which to be honest was a pretty common thing. However this time something different happened, instead of the empty space I usually rushed into, the yellow-tan combo of ________ was there to stop my movement. I nearly knocked her over. Embarrassed, I quickly gathered my bearings and turned around to say an apology. Her eyes entranced me, I went from not wanting to look to never wanting to look away. The 10 seconds of bliss seemed to last a lifetime and a millisecond at the same time, and I knew that I had found something special. In 10 seconds I had fallen. I could only hope that she had too.

It was the beginning of my 28^th year that I last laid eyes on the girl, _______, in the hallways of Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. She was wearing a pale blue hospital dress that was tough to distinguish from her skin at a distance. John and Henry, my two sons were walking a little bit in front of me anxious to see their mother. ________ was walking with her nurses, they were in floral pink and blue uniforms with blonde hair neatly tucked into a hat, but my eyes were only focused on her. At 7:05 I embraced my wife for the last time. I was too afraid to squeeze hard, I didn’t want to put too much pressure on her frail body, too afraid to look away from her eyes, still beautiful despite being much more faded, for I was not sure if I would be able to again. No amount of time would have seemed enough. In 10 minutes she would pass on to a better place. I could only hope that I would too.

The girl that changed my world- the girl who had become my world. The beauty of all of God’s creation, both in this world and beyond no longer had a rival, now was the main show. Her eyes, now shut for good, will no longer bring joy. Her skin, once a deep tan and smooth to the touch, was no cold and white. Her mouth, no longer formed in her signature radiating smile, is emotionless. Her soul perhaps was the most beautiful part of her being, far greater than mine own, and now it has returned home. Exit the girl.