Before You Left

• Keith Matilla, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2016

As I entered the cool atmosphere of Gardens by the Bay at Singapore, I let the long curls of my chocolate hair down. The scent of strawberries from my hair flowed in the gravity-filled air as it brushed my left cheek. My hands curled around my arms over my white cardigan. I tilted my head up to meet the dancing stars while the moon watched every laugh, cry and anger in the world. Remember the old philosophy? The moon loved the sun so much, he died for her every night so she’d shine brighter than the stars at daylight?

That was him and I. I was his sun and he was my moon. The stars, you might ask? They were our witnesses.

The spectrum of the lights that weaved through every single tree caught my gaze and I sheepishly smiled at them. I lifted my canon lens, skimming through the crowd ready to snap a memory of the place when I caught another camera pointing at me. Slowly, I placed my camera down to meet his fine facial features. His eyes goggled from the stupor and we both stood still like store mannequins. My heart raced against time and I stood again as if my feet were glued. It’s been five years. Five years since I closed every door I had in his life. I chowed down my saliva when he walked to me but before he stepped any closer. A fair-skinned, young girl gyrated him and clasped her hands around his legs.
“Daddy!” She called out to him.
I felt a stung of guilt when I felt my heart sank to the floor at those words.

I turned my heel and directed away from him. However, part of me was yelling, turn. I glanced one last time at his hazel eyes and strong jaw line. I trudged my way to a long, empty, wooden bench where the leaves sang with the wind as the tears hugged my face. I quickly wiped them off with my palms but all my efforts were a waste. The tears streamed even more when I heard the sound of my name and I forcibly pulled myself together again.
“Tif?” His soft voice twirled me around to face him. I noticed the black ink tattooed on his arm that read ‘Tiffany’, my name. His gaze followed my visible collar bone to where his name was also inked. I tucked it up with my cardigan as I had forgotten to have it removed off.

“Xander...” I began.
BEEP! BEEP!
The sound of a count down rang in our ears till we both realised what it was. Before I could move a single limb, Xander leapt out towards me. His hard chest hovered over me as we both met the ground when a loud bang of a bomb explosion dominated the area. He reached out for my hand, interlocking them.
“I still… love you”
Those were his last words before April 23rd 2015 forever haunted my sleep...