Tell it to the Moon (A 500-Word Short Story Collection)

Lost Love

It had been twelve years since Maggie met her first love in Thailand. Twelve years had passed but the short memories she had with him still lingered in her mind.

"I still dreamed about him," Maggie uttered when she saw her best friend, Lydie. They got together on the weekends.

"Mag, do you still expect to see Nitchakhun again? You chose to be a spinster for losing your first love! The one that got away." It was Lydie's usual question when they talked about him.

"Hmmm, I wouldn't say the one that got away as we weren't a couple."

"Here we go again. Don't you get tired of thinking about him? You talk about him for twelve lonely years." How could Lydie stop her from loving her first love and the only guy she laid eyes on?

"Do you still want to hear our lovely story? Lend me your ears, sweetie. As you know I'm not beautiful but Nitchakhun laid his eyes on me. I'm so grateful I went with the Amornsupasiri family for an outreach program in impoverished villages there. I should be the one to serve the people but I was the one being served. I went to this little store and he was there. I must be ragged-looking as he quickly offered me food. I can't forget the way he stared at me. The world seemed to stop and all I could hear is my heartbeat. I wanted...." Retelling their story was the only thing that made her alive.

"Believe me, I memorize your love story already. Who wouldn't? It's the only thing I hear from you. I apologize for interrupting you. I've been a good listener for years, but Maggie, I think it's time for you to forget him now. He didn't even know your name. For all I know, he was just being generous and gentleman." Lydie wanted to help her move on and get over her lost love.

"He might not know my name but knowing he was interested in me made me feel loved."

"Love? You didn't even know if the people there told you the truth. They said he spent an hour looking at you from afar and decided to approach you? Never took time to know your name? Come on, snap out of it!" She got the courage to confront her best friend. It hurt seeing her still dwelt on the past.

"What's gotten into you? Hmmm, I guess you are tired of hearing it now. I'm very sorry." Tears started to fall and she couldn't stop sobbing. "If only I went back there and looked for him. No man had ever shown interest in me before he came. As I grew older, I got a few suitors but they were not Nitchakhun. It's unbelievable how that single, short moment changed my life. I became a spinster, had no boyfriend since birth, and was childless. My life has been incomplete since I met him but the thought of seeing him again is the reason for my existence. He became my life."

"The power of love that I still can't fathom."

Lydie sighed and went back to reading a magazine while Maggie was still daydreaming.

Yuchae Moon
04May2021