The Words of a Lost Love.

They circled the crater from far above, residue of smoke and ash still clinging in the air, and safely from their pod in the hover craft, they surveyed the damage done one last time. The air glistened with careless animosity, neither speaking, lest they betray their feelings.

The man had watched the utter destruction of their previous home, in slow motion it appeared to him, as the meteorites of greed and disharmony bombarded it repeatedly in an unrelentless assault. A tear ran down his cheek as he watched silently, not willing to admit that he was the one that caused the meteors to fall. He held his son in front of him, who was also watching as they circled the ruins, and the tears began to pour freely. He refused to look over at her, numbed with grief and remorse, yet having the cadance to feel resentfull. Off to the other side, the daughter clung to her mother, both impassive, whispering abjectedly.

At last he spoke, his words betrayed by strong emotion, laced with feelings he'd long repressed, not quite sure of what would come forth from his lips.

"So how did you think it would end?", he asked aimlessly, his words slightly choked by his underlying pain, "You never figured out that I couldn't survive without Love."

"That's bull#," she replied harshly, bitter and concise, "You never deserved my Love. You were the first and worst husband I ever had. You never met my needs, and you've treated my daughter like # the whole time I was with you. Do I really need to continue?"

He finally had the courage to look at her, and saw her glaring at him angrily.

"I only wanted you to Love me, and then everything else would've fallen into place."

"That's bull#. You have to be a man first. You have to treat people with respect. You are a piece of #, and I am sorry I ever got involved with you."

He didn't flinch. He had spent eight years with this woman, and he knew how she was. The verbal abuse rained over him, and refreshed his resolve.

"Now that everything is over," he asked, "would it be possible for me to say a few words?"

"Whatever," she said venomously, "I'm ready to move on. Be ready to PAY for your mistakes."

"When I first met you, I had been lonely for three years, no physical contact with another female. It was my choice. You had been in the same boat, and I thought we had at least that much in common. I waited for someone to give my Love to, and in that choice, I wanted her to Love me back. You did, at first."

"Yeah, and then you decided your brother was more important than me."

"I'm not arguing about the past. I've made mistakes, and here at the end I'd simply like to tell you I'm sorry for all of them. It doesn't change anything, so it's mute to bring them up. I survived six years of a sexless marriage with you," and here he got emotional, tears creeping back, "but I couldn't survive another six. I need to feel Loved, and it's the only thing I CAN'T compromise on." He waited a few moments before continuing. "I resent you for withholding affection, and I can't stand it anymore. I'm ready to suffer the consequences, whatever they may be, because a man without Love is a hopeless individual. His life is not his own, he's directionless, and he's lost not only to himself, but to everyone around him."

She glared at him, her daughter too, and as the hovercraft eventually circled one last around the crater of their previous life, the mother and daughter hugged each other, and the son slowly left his father and walked over to join them in their embrace.

The father watched helplessly, and with tears pouring down his face he whispered softly to his son as he walked away, "I Love you, Jonathan. Please don't ever forget that."

I have to say I really enjoyed this. It made me see clearly how the man was feeling inside and how he was thinking. Sometimes saying the words and making someone in your life know, really know, how you feel makes all the difference. I'll never understand couples that "don't talk" about the things that are important. I've seen relatives who have been married for fifty some years who never have a nice word for one another, or never talk or when they do, it's all bickering. That's not for me. I'd rather be alone than be berated every single day of my life. I mean you really are alone in a way, anyway, right?

The thing I liked best about this is I completely felt the love the father had for his son. Honestly, I was moved and fascinated by the man's perspective. Don't see that much. Good job and S & F to you.

Give a thanks to Boncho too, If ya ever see him around. He's the guy that led me to this particular forum, and before him, I didn't know it existed here. LOL.

Also, thank you for your kind words. The whole point of writing is to evoke emotion, correct? If not, then what?