Time to Go

“Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day,

Rage, rage against the dying of light.”

The door screeched allowing the crowds to enter its dim rows. The crowd, tall, short, old, and young were all thrilled, moved to enter and be entertained by the movie inside, all of them but one man.

The young man was wearing a grey old cap and black jacket. As the movie was playing, he noticed something was wrong with the movie. He heard the poem but could not recall it. He was anxious, worried about what would come next.

In the past of his future, the young lady was left to watch alone on a cold, lonesome night. He left her for a reason he had long forgotten. Thus rendering him not being able to see her again.

In this past, by coming there, the young man ergo had defied his future by rejecting the past.

“We’ve always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible” Quoted the movie. Then, a shadow passed by, it was a young woman but not the lady he came for.

The woman was shorter compared to the young lady. She dressed gaudily with a pale-green skirt and dress. Her hair was short, plump face, and round eyes. The young woman was indeed another one of his past.

“Waited for long?” The young woman asked, offering the man a bag of meals.

The young man didn’t take it. He peered through the eyes of her. The black eyeballs looked pure, gleaming, and innocent. Then, he turned to face the movie again, realising what went wrong. The ticket showed it was January 17th 2014. The past had taken him back to another past.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t mind…it’s just 15 minutes.” The young man lied.

Her presence was the least he expected. He longed for her but also loathed her. For them, he knew what would happen next, or precisely, tomorrow. He had both the right to rage at her for the past things she had done in his future and the right to embrace her for all things he had missed from her. The choice had him pondered till the end of the movie.

“She’s out there. Setting up camp. Alone, in a strange galaxy. Maybe right now, she’s settling in for the long nap…” Uttered the last speech of the movie.

The young man and woman went out, and walked along the pavement.

The night didn’t breeze, it was silent yet unnerving. The pavement was long and clean. Few cars passed by yet no dust was flying around. Bushes were still, making no sound, allowing the passerby to talk. And the lampposts were dim and bright, lighting the shadows while bowing to every person passing by.

The young man and woman ambled down the street. With eyes taking shot at the moon, the young man had his decision unscathed. Every step taken had made him rethink his choices. Meanwhile, the young woman uttered no words. She had always spoken less compared to the young lady.

“How was the movie?” Asked the young man trying to unfreeze the silence.

“I had always loved sci-fi movies.” Replied the young lady speaking no more words.

The young man didn’t ask again. His decision went unexplained. Part of his rage was triggered by his knowledge of tomorrow. The event was carved in his heart. While his bleeding might not be severe, but since he had never gotten the reason from her, thus it never healed. The past would never return, and what return would never be perfect.

Almost to the end of the alley, the young man halted. On a bench, he saw a loving couple sitting and embracing each other. The couple spoke no words, however no eyes wouldn’t see them as lovers. The young man looked and pondered.

“What do those eyes see…”

The young woman looked at him as the man’s voice subsided. The young man also turned and gazed at the pure eyes of the maiden.

“It was fun.” The young man said with a smiling face, for he had found the reason now.

The young woman’s eyes grew wider. It was gleaming and full of questions, but before she could ask her question, the young man said “It’s time to go.”

“Ah.” Uttered the young woman looking at her watch realising it’s two past midnight.

“Yeah, it was fun.” Then, she smiled.

The young man called for a cab. She got on it. The young man was closing her door, but before, he looked at the gleaming innocent eyes of her again.

“Adieu.” The young man said.

As the cab departed, the young man stood, waiting till the cab couldn’t be seen again. Why did he just leave her be, the man pondered. He could have asked her out for dinner or watched another movie, knowing that she would leave him for another man in tomorrow future, and it might change their future. Answering that, he knew it was futile, but he tried. Then, he approached the man in black who had waited near the lamppost.

The heart had its reason, and the reason didn’t understand.