SEASONS

Spring

He had taken it from her. Without a question, without a doubt. He had stolen her heart. Billy, that was his name. That was the thing about the human heart, once it was taken it couldn't be given back. Feelings, emotions, memories. All of them were connected to the person and one who seemed to be the only important one. No one else could mess with him, be like him, or feel like him. Maddison looked in the mirror.

For two months she had not seen her smile. She felt like a ghost since he was gone. Nothing could bring him back, or the feeling that she had inside whenever she saw him. No one else had read her mind as he did. She had never been an easy person to be around. He never cared. He took her in every colour, in every way and with every word that she had to offer. Nothing else mattered when he was around. She looked at the picture of him and her. A moment in summer, one where there was no worry about tomorrow.

Summer

“Billy, you are insane”, Maddison said and looked directly at him. He just smiled and made her look around. He had turned the garden into a little paradise. Sand, palm trees and he even finished building the pool. She had only been away with work for two weeks. Coming back to the house to see him doing this was overwhelming. No one ever cared that much. Maddison had seen hate all her life. Whether it was from her family, the classmates she had in high school or her co-workers. She also knew that she deserved a lot of hate. She wasn't someone who said thank you, or sorry. She had been a fighter all her life.

“You asked for a little paradise, that's why”, he said and he didn't even have to explain himself more. She loved him in every possible way. There was no one like him. No one that would fill her heart as he did. No one who could take on her ego. It was them against the world.

Autumn

“Hey Baby I am back”, Billy said and entered the living room. Maddison was just sitting there, staring and saying nothing. Without a question, he went over to her and took her hands. There was a high chance, that this would have happened but he still had hoped that it wouldn't. No hug, no warm hugs could fix this situation right now and yet he had to say something. “It's not your fault”, he whispered and both of them knew it was a lie. Maddison had never felt so much hate for herself like she felt in this moment.

“It's time for you to leave me”, she began, but Billy cut off her words.

“I would never leave you. You might not be able to have your own children, but there are other ways we can still create a family”, he cut off her words and looked her in the eyes. At this moment he knew that he would do anything for this woman. He could never leave her. He would love her even more in every possible way he could.

Winter

That's when they first had met each other. It was a stupid winter ball as Maddison had called it, but it was for a good cause. Who could say no? Especially when it came to helping others out. He had that charm, that charisma she simply couldn't say no too. For him it was the complete opposite, if not even hate, he had felt in the very first moment. That was the essence of their relationship in the first place. He had hated her for being rude and she had hated him for leaving a feeling inside her that she couldn't ignore.

By now this was just a grey faded memory. What had once begun here had also ended here. It was another day when Maddison had just come home from work. Billy was supposed to be there already, but for the first time in their whole relationship, he was nowhere to be seen. No note, no message. The flat they shared together was just silent. Two hours later she got the call:

Billy had died in a car accident.

The Moment

Maddison looked at her work and took a deep breath. A little smile was seen on her face and she could feel two strong arms wrapping around her from behind. “Did you finish your short story?”, Billy asked. “I did”, she answered. “Your idea got me inspired so much, that I couldn't help myself, but write it down. I think it will give the reader an interesting perspective” she said. “So you want to give the readers a message they can remember?”, Billy asked. Madison nodded.

“Every story, poem, artwork or photograph tells a story. This is a story about love, hate and living the moment. There is a season for love, there is a season for hate. These are just two of the strongest emotions the humans can feel”, she said and sighed. “All together there is a season for everything and it is on us to decide, which we chose for love and which for hate.”

First published by Tigershark Magazine Issue #28 - Original by LC HAMILTON 14.05.2019