She Dumped Me 40 Years Ago. Now She Wants Us to Start Over.
We met for coffee to talk it over. I think I made the right choice.
As I sat across from Janet, her presence evoked a tide of memories crashing into my mind, stirring emotions I thought I had buried deep within. Forty years had passed since we last saw each other, yet here she was, seeking me out after all this time.
I remembered the day she ended things between us like it was yesterday. Her words, “I can do better,” echoed in my ears, piercing through the haze of hurt and confusion. At the time, her departure shattered me, leaving a void I struggled to fill.
Now, as she confessed her regret, admitting that she had made a mistake, I couldn’t help but feel a bitter irony coursing through me. The years had taught me much about life and love, and though her reappearance tugged at the strings of nostalgia, I couldn’t ignore the wisdom those decades had bestowed upon me.
I looked into her eyes, once familiar but now tinged with a hint of desperation and found myself speaking words I never thought I’d utter. “Janet,” I began, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions raging within, “what you said to me all those years ago, it cut deep. You said you could do better. That taught me something invaluable.”
She waited with bated breath; anticipation etched across her features.
“I’ve learned that sometimes, what we think we want isn’t necessarily what we need,” I continued, each word weighed down by realization. “And as much as I once believed you were the one for me, I’ve come to understand that we were never meant to be.”
Her expression faltered, a flicker of hurt flashing across her face before she masked it with a forced smile. “But Mark, I’ve changed,” she pleaded, desperation seeping into her tone. “I know now that you’re the one I want. The one I need.”
I reached across the table, gently taking her hand in mine. “I wish you all the happiness in the world, Janet,” I said softly, my heart heavy with the finality of my decision. “But I’ve learned that sometimes, the greatest love stories are the ones that never were. I have done better for you making that choice and I know I will do better for making this choice.”
I slid my chair backward, got up, and left her with her coffee and broken heart. -M
Originally published at https://michaelformanwriting.com on April 17, 2024.