Collection

How Long Will I Stay

"Miss, you look wonderful!"
I smiled without uttering a word. Taking the dress to the counter, my eyes widened as I realized how times have changed and how I stayed the same.

"Thank you, please come again!"

What was once a quiet street was now filled with gossip. If I could, I would have closed my ears just so I could have a moment to myself.

I walked down the hill aimlessly. I passed by the police station, then a dentist, followed by the infamous law firm before entering the small alleyway besides a school. I felt a pang in my chest. I could taste the bitterness at the tip of my tongue.

I sat down for a moment at a nearby park. I looked at the bags that had marked my skin. Such a heavy baggage just like how you had described me.

"Miss... huh."

I recalled my conversation with the staff from earlier — that is if you could call it a conversation. What was this emotion... Jealous? Angry? Irritated? Impressed?

...No. Not at all. Reality was just finally sinking in.

What used to be an empty parking lot was now a playground. The flower store was now a bakery. Even the fountain I fell in had disappeared. Nothing stayed the same except for the metal wrapped around my finger devoid of any warmth from the moment you left.

I was called a lot of names. Stupid, Idiot, Genius, Chatterbox... Titles were meaningless to me whether I became a valedictorian or if I won the science quiz bee. They were meaningless until a moment ago. I used to be a Missus and now I'm a Miss. I used to be yours and now I'm... mine. I wonder how long it will take before I could leave this ring behind. I wonder how long it will take before you'll turn around and say hi. I wonder how long it will take for me to recognize that the truth I'm waiting for is but a lie.

I wonder how long will I stay the same?

How long before I stop staying the same?

~End