Do Not Look in the Back of Your Drawers

          Do not look in the back of your drawers. A few days ago I was rummaging through my drawers hoping to find a specific shirt when I came across a wrinkled, grey, v-neck t-shirt. I quickly grabbed the shirt, held it in front of me, then realized this shirt belongs to someone who is thousands of miles away. I smelled it and hoped my olfactory bulbs would tingle with excitement when I smelled a scent that was once so comforting. I could not smell anything but the scent of my room and cedar drawers. I just stood silently with the shirt in hand, almost unable to put it back because I missed the person who once wore it. My mind promptly started to spin out of  control, and wondered if one of my shirts was in Cordoba, Spain at this very moment. I was dragged in to this mental battle with myself because I looked in the back of my drawers. Things that are in backs of drawers, closets, pantries, or even books are meant to stay a mystery until one is ready to explore the reason they were shoved so far away from daylight. Until I am ready to excise this shirt or possible multiple shirts, I am too afraid to look, I will leave it alone back there. If I do not bother it, it will not bother me, hopefully.

Hapless	adj.	Unfortunate
Headlong	adj., adv.	Headfirst; impulsive; hasty. impulsively; hastily; without forethought: "They rushed headlong into marriage."

Let's Stay Together

     “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green was once my favorite song. I used to play it over and over again while studying or talking on the phone with my love. I understood every lyric and hummed softly to the laid back rhythm of a very common love story. Now, after a life changing break-up and fully grasping the meaning of a “broken heart,” I cannot tolerate the once soothing sound of “Let’s Stay Together.”


    Never before have I heard this song played on the radio or a television commercial or even randomly selected on my Iphone, until now. I hear this song everywhere and it is driving me insane. I was at my hair salon on Friday, waiting to get my hair shampooed and suddenly over the radio I hear those signature horns and a soft voice whispering, “Let’s Stay Together.” All I could do was sit there in agony praying that the rushing water over my ears would drown out the song, and protect my mind from reliving every memory connected to those lyrics. My prayers were not answered and I sat in a cold chair holding back tears while my hairstylist blew warm air on my face from the hairdryer. At least the bursts of air dried my watery eyes. That was not the last time I heard the song, I accidently heard it twice today on my Iphone and it was also a suggestion on my Itunes account. So many incredible times were created because of this song, like slow dancing in a dorm room at 3 a.m. on our first anniversary. Perhaps that is the reason why I cannot bear to listen to it. “Let’s Stay Together” will continue to woo audiences just as it wooed me because it is a timeless record of human emotion and the bonds of love. Although it haunts me now, I hope one day I can fall back into love with it and reconnect with a song so full of honesty and passion.

Today Has Finally Come

         Today has finally come. The love of my life will get on a plane heading to Cordoba, Spain for ninety-five days and I am left in San Jose heart broken and lonely. We were best friends for four years until one night we realized our feelings for each other and began the most fulfilling and healthy relationship of our lives, thus far. Long distance relationships are difficult but we persevered, California and Massachusetts are only 3,000 miles away after all. We worked diligently to keep our love alive, frequent phone calls, last minute trips to Boston, weekly letters and countless text messages. We trusted one another with our whole hearts and the moments we spent together were incredibly intense and special. We just celebrated our second anniversary in Pismo Beach at our favorite Inn, leaving my heart warm and filled with hope. 

          Two weeks ago the person who I believed loved me unconditionally ended our relationship and broke my heart. There was not enough explanation to soothe my worrying, yet just enough to keep me up at night. The idea of just being friends with someone whom I imagined marrying, turns my stomach but I have no other choice. Perhaps in ninety-five days our love will make sense again and in fifty years we will laugh about this while sitting on our front porch. Until then, I will continue taking deep breathes and nurse this huge hole in my heart. Today has finally come, and the love of my life could not feel further away.

Vocab Words:

Garrulous	adj.	verbose; talkative; rambling: "We tried to avoid our garrulous neighbor."
Gossamer	n., adj.	fine cobweb on foliage; fine gauzy fabric; very fine: "She wore a gossamer robe."