His Old Friend

The shirt is an old friend. It's made from a soft cotton ticking cloth with wide blue and white stripes. It's well-worn, oversized, and comfy, like a blanket is warm and inviting on a chilled night.

The shirt is his favorite. It's a cherished garment that's been lovingly tended and preserved for years. It's the first shirt he wears after doing the wash. It's the only shirt he enjoys wearing no matter the season or the setting.

Now, his old friend is lying in his lap. It's freshly unwrapped from the package that arrived in the mail. Flat and pressed, the shirt is lifeless and somehow less than what it once was. He looks at it with tears in his eyes.

It's been a while since he's seen his shirt and old friend. The reunion is unexpected, and comes as a shock. Emptiness fills him. Loss, and sadness, flood through him. Waves of emotion begin to consume him, claiming him and stealing his soul.

He knows only despair and isolation in this moment. No longer in control, the tears that welled up in his eyes begin to fall. They run down his face and land on the shirt in his lap. He sits quietly and trembles as his tears pool on his old friend.

The shirt shouldn't be here. His old friend shouldn't be tear-stained and lying in his lap. He gifted it to his love, the woman who's his everything and his forever. He gave her the shirt as he gave her himself.

He remembers her joy and excitement when he handed her the shirt. He remembers the love in her eyes and the smile on her face as she wore it for the first time. His old friend was now her new friend. It was a symbol of their bond and life together.

As she slowly ran her hands over it, the shirt immediately enveloped her in his love and devotion. It carried his scent and now blended with hers. His old friend embraced her and became her warm blanket on a chilled night. It became her shirt for all seasons.

He last saw his old friend on his love. She wore it for him, loose and open. She treasured being in it, and near him. She cherished being embraced by both, loved and protected in their touch.

The shirt is now lying lifeless in his lap, tear-stained and wet. His old friend returned to him without warning or word. The love of his life, his everything and forever, silent and lost to him.