Faded Memory--Maylene

 

It was spring, and the gentle warmth of the breeze whispered through the strands of her

hair, as she walked along the cobblestone steps of her local village. Bree lived in a small town

that was encompassed by large spruce trees with a small village and several small cabins

scattered throughout the town. It was a place where everyone knew each other and secrets

were rarely kept hidden. Although it was a little annoying, she loved her little town. Every day

she would take a walk along the main center of her village, and every day she would walk into

the same antique shop. That day she walked in, and the owner greeted her with a huge smile as

usual. She welcomed Bree in and asked “ Were you looking for anything in particular today,

sweetie?” Bree replied “No, I’m not looking for anything in particular, just browsing.” She

glanced across a glass box filled with various beautiful jewelry, necklaces encrusted with jade

gems, perfectly woven leather bracelets with aqua-colored jewels. Suddenly her eye came

across a ring that had the initials O.G. She thought to herself how funny, and realized that it was

such a beautiful ring. It had a gold exterior and along it was a design of branches throughout the

ring. It was very simple, to be honest, but she believed it was the most charming piece

throughout the whole glass case. She asked the lady at the counter if she could buy it from her,

and she looked at her with a puzzled expression but gave her the item for free, nonetheless.

Bree left the store delighted and the ring was placed onto her finger as if a magnetic force

bound them together. A couple of hours later, when she was done with her usual stroll, she

decided to stop by a coffee shop called the Brew & Biscuit. When walking towards the door, she

dropped her tote bag. She quickly went down to reach for it and swiftly got up, when she

bumped into a person walking out of the cafe making her drop her bag again, along with the

stranger’s beverage. The stranger instantly reached down to retrieve the bag and some of the

items that had fallen. Although, once his eyes met hers, there was something so familiar and

warm to them like the pleasant taste of a cozy cup of coffee. Bree then caught herself staring for

far too long and quickly said sorry. He laughed and said, "Do you always greet people like this?"

She laughed nervously and said, “No, sorry I just thought you looked familiar.” He introduced

himself as Oliver. He was a tall guy with dark chestnut hair that was a flowy mess but somehow

looked perfectly placed at each angle which complimented his amber eyes. She then continued,

“Sorry about your coffee too. Can I get you another one?” He replied, “Weird way to ask me out,

but sure we can have coffee together.” Bree smiled, and they went inside the cafe and ordered

their drinks. They began talking to one another and instantly formed a great conversation,

discussing different TV shows they had been watching, what their hobbies were, and places

they recommended in town. She felt a bond to him with each sentence that exited his lips, and

she knew that he could feel it too. Soon after finishing their second cup of coffee and third

shared chocolate croissant. they left. They continued to keep in touch with one another,

frequently texting back and forth, sending game pigeons. They agreed to meet in person and

watch a movie together at Bree’s place. Bree made sure that everything was perfect from every

book on her shelf to each small baked pastry that she had spent all night baking. An abrupt

knock came to her door, and unexpectedly her heart began to beat a bit faster. Oliver came into

Bree's tiny snug home. She watched him as he ventured around, looking at childhood photos

and the various books stacked along her shelf. There was something so natural about him being

in her home, as if he were meant to be there, like a vase of beautiful flowers on the center of her

dining room table. They began to watch one of Bree’s all time favorite movies La la land

followed with complementaries of Ben & Jerrys and popcorn. During the middle of the movie,

Bree got up to use the restroom. When she went to rinse off her hands, she took off the ring that

she wore religiously. She then returned to the room, and he was gone. She searched all of the

rooms, pacing back and forth. She went back into the bathroom to get the ring to place it back

on. Unexpectedly, she heard a knock at the door with the following voice “ Hey, I left to get us

some food. I thought you might be hungry.” She then opened the door, and it was Oliver in front

of her doorstep. This puzzled her. She could not have been gone for more than ten minutes.

She put aside all of her questioning, even though it secretly bothered her the rest of the night.

Oliver then left Brees home at 11 o'clock at night. She went to sleep in her room after he left.

She placed her ring on the bedside. Bree began tossing throughout her bedsheets unable to fall

asleep or soothe her emotions. She found herself waking up in and out of dreams which felt like

familiar memories with Oliver; but when she awoke, she began to cry and felt a heaviness within

her chest. Quickly, her head whipped around to face the ring placed on her nightstand. Without

any hesitation, she instinctively put the ring on her finger. Again, she heard a knock at her door.

She ran to the door and looked at Oliver again with that same smile, those same amber eyes

that for so long were fixed upon her. She began to remember. Oliver looked sadly towards her

and held her closely. They then shared a fleeting kiss. As she opened her eyes, he was gone.

His name was Oliver Gray, her first love, her only love. Bree had met Oliver in that same coffee

shop where they had bumped into each other. They bonded over the same books, ventured to

different thrift stores as well as antique shops, and fangirled over La la land together each rainy

day. One day she took a drive with Oliver in his old rusty pickup truck. She remembered that

night like it was yesterday. It was raining, and she could feel the crisp air touch her cheek. They

had been listening to all of their favorite bands, driving a mile per minute along the road when

suddenly, the slippery road made the car drift. Oliver lost control and crashed into a nearby

ditch. Everything happened so quickly that Bree had no time to react. Slowly she looked over at

Oliver. His eyes fluttered, opening and closing. He reached for her hand and grabbed it. At that

same moment he closed his eyes. His hand loosened his grip from hers, and a small gold ring

that he often wore left his finger. She felt the droplets of rain grace her skin. Bree couldn’t tell

what was water or her tears. She took all of Oliver's belongings including the gold ring with his

initials engraved on it, and donated it to one of their favorite antique shops. She then came back

to reality remembering every terrible memory that had haunted her for so long. She constantly

felt alone, unable to create any sort of relationship with anyone else. What was it worth building

a new relationship with someone else if it wasn’t him. Because living a life in her own delusions

proved to be far sweeter than a life spent without him.