An End, and a Beginning

"How DARE you!" Karen shouts, as she stands in front of me. Her hand still havering over her opposite shoulder. Her green eyes, glistening from tears. Her crimson hair covering part of her face, contrasting with her vibrant eyes.

"I'm sorry." I just stand there, the side of my face still stinging. I was in the wrong. I watched as her emotions started boiling over. The passerby's in the street walk by in hushed tones, parting around us like a rock in a stream. No one stepped in. Which, admittedly, helped. It gave a sense of intimacy, even in our very public situation.

"You're SORRY?" she shouts. I stood in silence as she hurled insults at me, tears now streaming down her face. So badly do I want to hold her, to wipe those tears from her face. But, I can't. I have lost that privilege.

"What do you want me to say?" I manage, my emotions building inside of me.

"Are you not going to defend yourself?"

"No." I mutter, for, how could I? I told her to trust me. I told her that Danny was just a friend. That I had known her since were kids in school. Now here I stand, the vows of mine and Karen's matrimony in tatters.

"Why? Tell me why it had to be Danny?" she shouts, her arms now crossed as if she is holding herself from attacking.

"I- "

"You told me to trust her! And look where that got me?"

"It didn't mean anyt- "

"Strange... because it meant everything to me." Karen cuts me off and turns away, slowly, deliberately. With her back to me she pulls off her ring, her hands falling to her sides as she lets the ring roll to the ground.

So badly, so badly do I want to run to her. To grab ahold of her and apologize. But, now? Now it's too late. I have destroyed everything we had built together, and now… she's gone. The crowd that had made room for us now closed in. A wall of sorts, separating her from me. I stand there, surrounded by so many people. Yet for the first time in 5 years, I am truly alone.

'How could I have been so stupid!' I scream into my mind, falling to my knees, slamming my fist into the ground. I notice the ring; it is glistening like a star on the sidewalk as the sun hits it. As I pick up the ring, my emotions finally catch up to the situation like a bursting dam. 'Damn it, damn it all,' I think to myself. Pulling up my hood to hide the tears streaming down my face, I turn in the opposite direction of her, and leave.

As I wondered the streets, my feet make a path of their own. Ever since Karen left, my phone has been buzzing. The only person who would be trying to contact me is Danny. Every fiber of my being is screaming that I should yell at her, blame her for coming back into my life and ruining everything. But, deep down… I know it isn't her fault. I reach into my pocket, and turn off my phone.

I walk for hours. My only sense of time is the sun that is descending on the horizon. The sky making a purple glow, as the street lights flicker to life. The once bustling thrum of the crowd dwindling as I wander on through the city's streets. Rounding corner after street corner, my feet finally stop. The familiar smell of fryer grease and stale beer fills my nostrils.

"J… James?"