THE NIGHT WITHOUT ITS STARS

I tilted my wrist to look at the time. It’s past seven now. It had taken just twenty minutes for me to dress up and arrive at the restaurant, so I’ve been sitting here for an hour now. I should try calling her, shouldn’t I? Or maybe I got here too early. She should be on her way now.

Another hour has gone by and she’s still not here. By now, most people I met when I came in are already done and gone. She isn’t picking up either. What’s going on? If something had came up, she should have at least called to let me know. This is unlike Sonya.

I brushed my blue striped shirt to prevent it from getting wrinkled from all the sitting. It was a birthday gift from her last year. I recall her asking me to wear the shirt often, so I wore it today. But she isn’t here… what could possibly be holding her up?

I’m getting anxious now. I can’t sit still anymore. I have to do something. What if she got into an accident? That can’t be it, right? No way!

“Yo! Percy.”

I looked up to see Sameer in his usual outfit, wiping his hands as he walked towards me from behind the counter.

“Still here?”

“Yes, I am.”

“It’s pretty late, y’know. Maybe you should go home.”

“Yeah, I should,” I replied as I stood up, straightened my shirt, and headed for the door.

“See you later, Sameer.”

“Yeah.”

Sameer is the restaurant manager. I’m a regular, so we’ve met a few times before.

Outside had gotten a bit cold, guess it’s going to rain. The night sky seemed awfully beautiful without its stars. I sighed as I started walking down the street. A lot of shops were closing and people were rushing home, retiring for the day. A lot of thoughts were running through my head at the same time.

It couldn’t be what I’m thinking, right? Sonya asked to go on this date because she had something to tell me. She wasn’t planning on ending things, right? Because we are doing perfectly fine, so there isn’t any reason she would want that. I should calm down. There’s no point in panicking right now.

“No, this won’t do.” I stopped and turned to hail a cab.

“Grinnsway Avenue, please,” I told the taxi man as I sat in and tried calling her again.

I’m heading for her apartment.

The apartment was quiet, but the lights were on. I could only hear the beeping sound from the passcode lock as I opened the door and entered the living room. A pair of unrecognizable men’s shoes were at the doorstep.

My heart stopped for a moment as it suddenly hit me.

“A man…” I gasped.

There’s a man in Sonya’s apartment. It couldn’t be what I’m thinking… could it?

With haste, I rushed into the room to see what I wished I hadn’t.

Standing at the door of the room, though the light was out, I could see clothes on the floor and two people making out on the bed.

My whole body went stiff as reality pulsed through me like an electric current.

“Sonya…” I wanted to scream, but the words suddenly became lumps in my throat, refusing to come out.

I should leave, but my limbs were completely numb. I just stood there watching the scene unfold before my eyes. They both seemed not to have noticed my presence at all as they continued their shameless act of debauchery. He suddenly flipped her to her side, making the dim light reflect on her face.

Though her eyes were closed, I could see her face, and without a doubt, she was in another world. Even if I had screamed at the top of my voice, she wouldn’t have noticed.

I stepped back, turned to take my leave, but I still couldn’t walk properly. My vision was blurry and it was as if the earth was spinning faster than it should.

I managed to get to the living room.

“My phone… where’s my phone?” I muttered.

I found it lying on the floor where I had dropped it after I saw that bastard’s shoes.

I picked up my phone and left the apartment.

By the time I got to the front of the building, it was raining cats and dogs.

It seemed like the sky was mocking me purposely for being in love, as it poured down heavily, not caring if people were running away looking for shelter or not.

The cars were coming to a halt as the rain was getting too heavy to continue driving.

I couldn’t care less as I stepped out into the rain, headed in the direction of only God knows where.

“I shouldn’t have come here,” I whispered to myself as the rain poured down heavily on my head. I suddenly wished it could wash away the excruciating pain I was feeling in my chest, but that didn’t seem to be happening.

I should have just gone straight home. Then this moment wouldn’t be happening, right? I should have gone home. Then I would probably get to see Sonya tomorrow, right? We would laugh and go on a date together. I wouldn’t be here feeling this tightening pain in my chest, it was starting to get harder to breathe.

I could barely see the people waving at me from the sidewalk. I wondered what was going on.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, what seemed like a car, whose driver was having difficulty stopping, came flashing its headlights at me. Before I could realize it, I was out. All I could see was sudden darkness. I could hear faint sounds of cars screeching and people shouting, even an ambulance siren whirring close by.

With the last bit of strength left in me, I managed a smile.

Well, I guess this is it. Still, I wish I could see her face one more time. Just one last time.

Then we could fix it. If I could just go back to this morning, maybe we could be happy.