Broken Promises. Broken Heart.
After a little more than a month, I reached out to the woman I once called my love. I sent her a text message and told her I missed her. I told her I still wore the braided and knotted leather bracelet she bought me as a symbol of her devotion. Like the necklace I gave her, this bracelet expressed my commitment to her and to the promises we made to each other.
With the text message sent, I waited. An hour passed before I received a response. It was not the response I had hoped for. It was short and cold. It did not have the caring feel of the woman I cherished and called my love. It had the feeling of finality.
The response I got back filled me with the same emotions of loss that I experienced the day our relationship ended. I read the text message, then reread it. I looked at the bracelet on my wrist. I looked back at her reply.
I began to write my own response. I felt hollow, and my words reflected it. I ended with, “I know this must feel right to you. It will never feel right to me. Take care.” I sent it.
I watched the progress bar slide from left to right as my message was sent. Then it was done. It was sent. There was now only silence. I waited a few moments. More silence. I waited an hour. No reply came back.
Broken promises.
Broken heart.
I looked at the bracelet on my wrist. I reached out with my free hand and ran my fingers along the braided leather. I wrapped my hand around it and gripped it. I squeezed it tightly against my wrist. Then I began removing it.
I unclasped the leather loop from the knot. The leather knot came undone. It untied. The bracelet fell off my wrist and lay in my lap.
I just looked at it.
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If this piece resonated with you, you will find similar reflections and stories here: Musings.