Stephanie Sarkany

2/25/2007

Fall Leaves

Short Story

The harsh winter wind painted pink on Beth's cheeks. Fall had already ended but all around her leaves were still clinging desperately to their trees, refusing to let go of their last semblance of life. Beth quickly checked her watch again, which claimed that it was already seven twenty-three. She had already guessed it to be later than she hoped for the sun had all but disappeared but when she saw this, she sighed heavily.

She was supposed to meet someone at seven thirty. It was pure, horrible luck that her car had finally broken down on the one night that she truly needed it. If only she had relented and purchased a cell phone when the trend had first appeared, she might not be stuck trudging in the snow banks alongside the road. She could’ve actually been on time for her semi-date.

In high school she hadn’t had to worry about being on time with meeting him because she would’ve definitely seen him the next day at school. They had been best friends, so close and always together. People had always commented on what a great couple the two would make. And while Chase had always laughed and shrugged off this remark, she had always simmered at his casual and uncaring response. She couldn’t really blame him though, after all, he had no idea how much farther than friendship her feelings went. For years, she had ached for more but shy and frightened as ever, she had not taken that chance for fear of rejection.

No, Beth mourned, these were unfortunately not some petty high school feelings.

How much better it would be if they were, because then she would at least know that she would eventually get over the hurt. (However, in hindsight, she could not help but think how she should have taken that opportunity because now she might not even have one.)

Almost as soon as high school had ended, Chase had gone away to an out-of-state college and hadn't had time for her. A call or email every few weeks was apparently all that their lifelong friendship had deserved. Then even those had dried up, along with the vanished Chase. The years had slowly and morosely gone by and yet, no other man had stricken her fancy, so she had remained single and lonely as always.

Beth had almost been ready to give up the dream and find someone lesser and no where near as wonderful as Chase when suddenly a note from him arrived in the mail informing her he would be coming back for a few days and wanted to “catch up”. She had wanted to rip it to shreds then cruelly reply that he should have thought about that a long, long time ago. But not surprisingly, she couldn’t do that and so she accepted. Her heart refused to let her do anything else.

So here she was; walking alone in the cold and dark, attempting to get to Chase before he disappeared from her desolate life again. This hope was evidently impossible, hopeless even and she thought herself quite stupid for allowing herself this belief but that didn’t stop her from believing she might possibly reach him. The restaurant, a quaint little café, was still miles away and she had no way to get there in seven minutes, or let alone thirty minutes, which was when he would surely give up on her and leave. So there went the rest of her hopes, which the letter had brought or triggered - Beth wasn’t actually sure which. She had thought there hadn’t been any desires or dreams left in her heart before but it seemed that with the arrival of the letter, wishes and dreams had appeared that she thought she had beaten out of herself.

Beth's thin overcoat had unfortunately stopped warding off the cold long ago without her realizing it and she could now no longer feel her toes or fingers. She was quite sure that her nose was bright red and it certainly was running, along it seemed, with her eyes. She frantically sought around her for a traveling car so she could perhaps get a ride. But no matter how much she strained her eyes, she did not see any headlights at all, dim or bright.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Beth wondered when it had gotten so dark. And as her knees buckled on the side of the road and her world went dark, she realized that she should have stayed in her car, despite her fear of losing Chase because after all, what was that fear compared to the fear of losing your life?

Was this what it was to be truly miserable?

Was this what true terror was like?

All of a sudden, Beth understood how those crinkly, brown leaves clinging to the trees felt.

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