Letting go

Letting go The man had been told to let go, that she was gone, it was a sensible suggestion, to let go, but just how do you just “let go”. She had been part of the man’s life for so long, close to 20 years side by side, right there, his constant companion, always by his side, they were a team, soul-mates even. “Just let go” they said. And now she was gone. Vanished. Not a word. The remains of their day had been planned and now what. The man was heart-broken, of course, how could he not be, and to just let go and move on was not easy. First came bewilderment, shock, then anger, finally despair and an acceptance that was slowly replaced by a sorrow so deep he could scarcely breathe. The man questioned himself, every day he called out, “where are you, what has happened”, he wondered was it something he had done, something he had said, but nothing made sense. “Just let go”. Then he began to catch glimpses of her, here and there as he travelled the world, still searching, looking, hoping. A shadow on a stairwell, lipstick on an empty wine glass, a mirror, a park bench. Seeing those things, it was a painful reminder, sometimes they made him cry, but sometimes it made him smile to just remember. “Just let go” The man is still letting go, probably will forever, the letting go has slid into his life like a coil of black smoke, a choking, strangling feeling in his chest, but one that travels with him like a friend, helping to remember.