THE DOOR.

"You've hurt me more than anyone else in the world.

Don't ever call me again. Delete my number.

Delete all my mails. Don't ever inquire about me."

Her words were soft ... shaky.

On the other end of the phone, he didn't say anything.
He didn't feel anything.

"Goodbye," She said a little shakier than before.

It was noon.

He said nothing.

There was no drama. No graphic ending to a friendship he'd fought to keep.

No crescendos. No crashes. No quick flashes of happier times.

The day went by like any other.

Somewhere around midnight he heard a distant voice.

Something inside stirred.

"You've hurt me more than anyone else in the world"

Straining for strength, his spirit shuffled to its knees and crawled.

"Don't ever call me again"

Over to a heavy door.

"Delete my number"

He leaned against it ... it groaned as it shut.

"Delete all my mails."

On Auto-pilot, his hands turned a rusty key.

"Don't ever inquire about me."

Exhausted, he slumped his back against the door he'd cautiously opened, after a long, self-imposed imprisonment.

It was locked again.

Curling up in the comfort of a fetal position, he slowly began to bleed.

"Goodbye."