The Perfect Day

She wondered at his apathy. There he was, shrugging his shoulders, a corner of his mouth upturned, his hands in his pockets.

Would you say something? She wanted to scream at him. How can he be so calm, so sure, so unaffected? Was she the only one worried about what the news implied about the future?


The leaves rustled as a gentle breeze wafted through the trees to where they were standing, face to face. Even the setting wasn't right, it seemed to her; what with the sun shining down on the leaf-strewn grass below, the sky cloudless and blue, the day bright but cool, encouraging people to spend the time out sitting on the ground, all of them either silently reading books or noisily conversing with friends in groups. It seemed that the day was meant to be perfect, and perhaps it was, but not for her.

"What do you want me to do?" The words as he said them--in a low voice, accompanied with a barely restrained sigh--disappointed her more than his actions so far have.

She looked away, trying not to get angry. Focusing on a blade of grass that had somehow ended up on the hem of her dress, she told herself that this had to be done. I have no choice.

She nervously started to speak, "We have to--" but was distracted when a dragonfly landed on her dress, right on the blade of grass. Memories resurfaced suddenly, of days like this one spent running around with relatives, chasing after the insect, trying to catch one for a pet. It jarred her, and she felt like vomiting. She clutched her stomach, unsure whether the sensation will pass or not, afraid and remorseful.With the sudden motion the dragonfly left her dress, hovering only for a moment over the errant blade of grass before disappearing somewhere behind her.

The voices around them grew louder, more animated, until it sounded like one long low buzz, indistinguishable from each other. She looked up at his face, still emotionless, and decided.

"I never want to see you again." Her voice was steady, firm. She turned away quickly, seeing only a glimpse of his surprised face, and walked slowly away, her chin raised, defiance in her eyes, her hand clenched into fists.

After turning a corner, she stopped and looked back. He hadn't followed her.