He caught his breath. It was her. She was standing under the flickering neon light. “After all these years,” he smiled to himself. That same elegance and beauty. He could say it was her without even looking further. And the years started winding back in his mind. Memories came flashing back, images from a distant past that had been lost amidst the quagmire of life. Until now. “How do I approach her?” Indecision gripped him. The years had taken their toll. ”She wouldn’t recognize me now, “he thought. He tried to chalk out a plan that would see him approach her as an old friend without giving anything away without his current penniless existence. He tried and cancelled out several options. At last he decided the best way would be to approach her directly. He started to walk towards her, his heart pounding in anticipation. Just then a man came out of the nearby shop and before our man could say something went up to her in three steps flat. Our man took a brief pause, dumbstruck. He then nodded to himself. Who was he kidding? She had moved on with her life. Jealousy gripped him. He wanted to tear apart the man from the shop. He had to confront him. He resumed his walk this time at a brisk pace. The walk cooled him down. He accepted it was no use blaming the man from the shop. It was he himself who had failed her. He changed his mind and decided to say his last words to her. However it was too late. Before he could reach her, she screeched away leaving behind a cloud of dust and smoke and her former owner. He kept gazing at the ’69 Chevy, his baby, he had nurtured and loved over the years but had to let go of due to unprecedented hard times. Finally she moved away beyond the horizon leaving a broken man in her wake.
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