Vito_Genovese felt the rocks rubbing against each other as he rolled them around in his hand.  Staring down at his hand, he watched as he fingers moved back and forth while he felt the last traces of sunlight dance through spring leaves as the sun slowly set in the distance.  But his mind was not there, it was drifting off, remembering the scent of her perfume, her blue eyes, and way her smile would make his heart race.

She had disappeared as quickly as she had appeared in his life.  He was so pragmatic about the way he lived day to day, yet with a smile and a wink, she had completely upended and changed his world.  He knew she was hiding something and had been defensive at first, keeping her at a distance.  Yet the walls he had erected were all slowly torn down.  They had talked for hours, sharing their hopes and desires, laughed at each other’s jokes, and ultimately began to form a bond.  Vito had avoided asking questions about what she had hidden, always avoiding the “elephant within the room”, figuring that she would eventually share.

As they grew closer and closer, they spend more time together.  But each night, she would disappear, yet he never questioned.  I WAS SO FOOLISH he admonished himself as he had just ignored the signs.  Then, she had asked the question.  “How would you feel if I disappeared all at once?  Gone, just gone” she had asked as they sat on a bench at Prospect Park, watching kids throwing rocks into the water.

He stared at her for long minutes, yet she continued to stare forward, refusing to meet his gaze.  Finally, speaking from the heart, he said “It would break my heart.  I’ve become very attached....maybe not the right word.  But in my heart, preparing myself for the inevitable.”  With his response, she looked him in the eyes and said “I’m not going anywhere” and then moved close and gave a gentle kiss on his lips.

As he watched the rocks turning in his hand, he could still remember how his heart had raced and the sweet smell of her perfume.  That was the last time he ever saw her.  The following day, he sat at a coffee shop they met each afternoon and waited.  As minutes grew into hours, he grew more and more concerned.  She had always avoiding giving her full name or her address and he had always avoided asking too much.

Now he stood, nearly a month after the question and the kiss, and he felt lost.  Standing a short distance from the bench they had been seated upon, he raised his head and felt a tear run down his cheek.  Vito was a strong man, but was unabashed at accepting his feelings and currently, his heart was broken.  With a deep breath, he tossed the rocks into the calm waters of Prospect Lake and watched the ripples as they moved outward.  As they moved farther and farther away, they seemed to slowly dissipate until they were only a memory.  He asked himself Is this how heartbreak works…will it slowly dissipate as it moves out until it’s only a memory?