The Apology: A Short Story

The Apology

Rain. So much rain. At this point, Chelsea doesn’t care anymore. She will do anything to be in the presence of her loved one. She feels at ease, carrying Charlie’s umbrella with both hands over her head, shielding the water from ruining her flawless appearance. As she clumsily stumbles through the field, gooey mud sticks to every surface of her tall brown boots. Normally, a girl like Chelsea would go nuts at the mere sight of this mushy brown dirt, yet she doesn’t react. Today, her whole body and soul are focused on facing her inner demons. She will walk up to the man she loves dearly, and apologize for the biggest mistake of her life.
Many rows of memorial stones stand before her, and yet Chelsea spots him from afar. Her gut twists with guilt and her large hazel eyes fill up with water. She carefully wipes away tears from her cheek with the back of her hand. This is harder than she thought, but her determination to confess is undeniably strong. She gently inhales the cold autumn air into her lungs. Step by step, Chelsea walks confidently to face Charlie.
“Hi, Cee,” she mumbles, half smiling to herself for using his nickname. “I know you don’t want to hear or see me at all, but I have so much to say and even more questions to ask,” she speaks quietly, almost whispering. Chelsea nervously tucks a strand of

her blonde coiffured hair behind her ear. The wind roars, moving scattered leaves through the wide field. There’s no answer from him, only deafening silence.
“Hear me out on this, okay?” she continues. “Life has always been hard for me, Charlie, but it only got worse when I was living it without you.” Chelsea’s voice grows louder with every word. Her only desire is for Charlie to listen attentively. “Two years ago, I thought leaving you was the best thing I could do. It was the most ignorant thing I’ve done in my life, and I understand that now.” She suddenly stops, lips trembling, and gives Charlie a dark look. “I lost you for good!” she yells, her voice filled with sorrow. Chelsea drops the umbrella by her side, not bothering to close it. It hits the ground with a small thud. Her legs feel numb, making Chelsea unable to stand any longer. She brings herself to her knees in front of him.
Rain persists to pour down, soaking Chelsea’s hair and forcing her eyelashes to spill tears of mascara down her rosy cheeks.

“Maybe if I weren’t so stupid, you would still be here with me right now. You wouldn’t have been in that car, at that stoplight, at that moment. You would have been with me!” she screams out. Frustration is overcoming her senses and filling her every nerve. The wind picks up once more, sliding the umbrella away from her side. Chelsea hastily grabs it and closes it shut. “Please answer me,” she pleads. She pauses again and looks at him. She lifts her eyes to stare at the swirling grey clouds above her. “This silence is

torture!”
She puts her head in her hands and starts to sob. “I want you back,” she whines. “I blame myself for what happened and that’s why I didn’t come to your ceremony. I couldn’t handle the truth.” She shakes her head. Chelsea slowly removes her hands from her face, seeing her mascara has stained her fingers too. She looks at Charlie with everything she has. No answer, only silence.
“I didn’t have enough time with you and I never will. I had forgotten how important you were to me, and now it’s too late.” She pushes herself up from the ground, knees still wobbly. “I have to pay for my mistake. I will pay it with grief and regret for the rest of my life. Living without you is the worst punishment. I miss you, Charlie.” She pauses. “And I am so sorry for divorcing you, Charlie,” she whispers to herself.
Without looking back, she slowly walks away, leaving the vivid red umbrella against her ex-husband’s tombstone.