AnElephantCant miss an anniversary
Proverbially he never forgets
Before you follow the link
Please have a quick think
And see if this dude has any regrets
Written for the Līgo Haībun Challenge.
Loneliness by Phil Burns
The Anniversary
The date on the newspaper jolts him upright.
October 21, 2012.
His mind leaps unbidden to that day ten years earlier.
The day which changed his life inenarrably.
It’s in my leather jacket pocket, he calls through to her.
A second before remembering what else is in that pocket.
He hears the silence which lasts throughout the evening.
The evening of their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary celebration party.
Almost 200 guests, suspecting nothing.
He was the front man in the business, the one who did the sales, the client contact, the work.
She was the financial brain behind him.
The one with the old family contacts.
The one who opened the doors.
She took everything.
And destroyed him and his reputation.
It has been a downward spiral since then.
He is an outcast in their tight community, a city small enough that everyone in their line of business knows everyone else.
Including her.
And her family, of course.
He regrets his stupidity.
He still loves her, still thinks of her every day.
But there is no way back.
Never has been.
He sighs and tucks the newspaper inside his trousers as he lies back down on the bench.
It promises to be another long, cold night.
a life of fulfilment
reduced to ashes
by an act of folly
Sound Bite Fiction 
Very powerful piece…and there but by the grace of god could be me…one never knows….some great words by you in your comments too.
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Thank you, Mr Pirate, AnElephant is grateful for your time and your praise.
As you say, life can change in a heartbeat.
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Powerful. It doesn’t matter what she found. But it must have been pretty awful if she could never find it in her to forgive him. Well done! My first time with this challenge. I’m learning by reading.
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Thank you for your kind words.
AnElephant read your piece and concludes you are a very fast learner.
It is excellent.
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Unlike Björn, I’d like to know what was in his pocket that meant he ended up on that bench. Wonderful writing. You MC went on quite a journey.
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Oops, should have read this before answering Bjorn!
The point is that whatever it was (and AnElephant is sworn to secrecy!) was so unacceptable to his wife as to be deemed a deal-breaker.
And thank you for the kind words.
MC?
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Maybe it’s a boy-girl thing, or maybe it’s just me. Björn likes mystery, I’m a nosey parker.
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Well, it is supposed to be a secret, but it was (looks around sneakily) whisper whisper whisper ……
So, eh!
What do you think of that?
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Wonderful write, and I so much enjoy what you never said what was in his pocket…
🙂
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Thanks, Bjorn.
You clearly understand that it is the significance rather than the item which matters.
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Amazing write here my friend. Heartfelt and touching.
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You are, as always, very kind.
Very happy that it touched you.
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May the heart find peace in the path that it has taken & continues to travel to.
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Nice thought, RoSy, but seems unlikely here.
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Painful and therefore well done.
Still, one act of folly, which shows poor judment but no more than that, should not be enough to destroy a life.
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Merci, cherie, mais peut-etre c’etait la tete de la mere de sa femme dans sa poche!
Ca, c’est plus qu’une petite faute, non?
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Cela depend de la belle-mere….;-)
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Emmy!!
Sois gentille!
Ca, ce n’est pas trop sympathique, eh?
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An excellently written haibun. Setting up the backstory in stark detail through his memories of the fatal night. I agree completely with Anja … completely!
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Thank you, Penny, yours is, as always, the ultimate praise.
Very happy you enjoyed.
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Awesome writing.
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AnElephant thanks you for that, sir.
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Wonderfully written and a reminder no matter how someone can hurt you, love can and usually remains.
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Thank you for your visit and the kind words.
Glad you enjoyed.
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Wonder what was in the leather jacket pocket and also wonder if she ever thought of him. Very well-told. The elephant’s eye in the drawing looks empty..The drawing by Phil conveys loneliness and sadness so well.
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Thank you for your comments, especially regarding Phil’s artwork. AnElephant often feels that is overlooked, yet is often the inspiration for the words.
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Wow. Stupidity destroying everything. This is brilliant.
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Human flaws can have disastrous consequences when forgiveness is withheld.
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It can. Sorry is a small word but can repair bridges if said properly
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