The Revelation

She was there before me and all along. And she continues to be near you long after I’m gone. Seeing the picture of her sitting next to you would have brought me to anger, as I would have imagined her claiming my rightful place. But there was something in a corner of the picture: a date. Shouting the obvious. Blocking the air out of my lungs and voiding my mind of any thoughts but one: I had been the other woman. I had been the intruder.

Suddenly there was no rightful place to claim near you and all memories about you were stained by a shadow standing between us, incriminating us, destroying the very idea of US.

I sat at that table in the cafeteria, face in my hands, eyes wide shut, trying to breathe, to imagine tomorrow. It felt like swallowing broken glass and each gasp of air came with its own silent scream.

And my silent screams were deafening. I could feel the blood in my veins had stopped, pausing my entire existence. People next to me were motionless and for five minutes or an eternity, so was the entire world.