"I don't understand any of it." Virginia said, weeping openly. "I mean, we had been together for 3 years, and he never said anything about having second thoughts about our relationship. Everything seemed to be going so well, why did he leave me?"
"V, I am so sorry this happened. But you can get through this. I will be here for you, I am here to listen. Talk to me, get it out." Scott said.
"I..." she sobbed, "feel so selfish bothering you with all my problems. You are totally my best friend, and I know it must suck to spend time with a sad sack like me."
"None of that." He replied. "I know that I have been in much the same situation in the past, and you were there for me too. That's what friendship is about. I want to be here for you. I will do everything I can to support you. But I know that more often than not, what is needed is an ear to hear you. A shoulder to cry on. So that's what I am going to do, hear you out. It's ok."
Scott pulled Virginia in for a hug. The warmth of his embrace felt so good, she burst into even more tears. She felt so many things. It felt good that her best friend was supporting her, she was still torn up inside about how Ben had dumped her, and she was angry with herself most of all for believing his lies the last month.
"I thought we were good. I spent time with him, we did what he liked, we had so many things in common. When he told me he had been cheating on me with Jason, I was willing to let it go. I wanted to make it work, but for him to say that he was breaking up with me for him... was I just not enough for Ben?"
"Oh, V. You know these kinds of things aren't about the other person. There is nothing wrong with you. People grow apart, it happens. I mean, you two had been going out since high school. Not many high school relationships last a year into college. But if anyone should feel bad, it's him. It might not have been easier, but he should have told you sooner."
"I just don't know what to do." Virginia said, her tears slowing a little, as Scott continued to comfort her in a hug.
"You don't need to do anything. Just take some time. Allow yourself time to process. That's the best thing anyone can do with something like this." Scott let her go, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small stone. It was beautiful, smooth, colorful, but with a huge crack in the middle. The crack had been filled in with a golden filling before being polished again.
"Take this. It's my lucky stone. It comes from the Japanese tradition of Kintsukuroi. The story goes that in Japan, when a valuable item breaks, they repair it with gold, because in embracing the imperfections, and even highlighting them, the object becomes even more beautiful. The cracks, filled in with the gold, show that even broken things have value. I know things are difficult now. Even if your heart is breaking, you still have value, and you can get through this. I can't guarantee things will get better, but I promise I will be by your side."
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This blog post is part of a series of stories associated with Practice makes pretense, in which a collection of writing done in response to prompts is compiled. Then, the reader should answer the following two questions: 1) What was your favorite thing about the writing? 2) What did you feel as you read it?
If you would like to view the original, please visit the Practice makes pretense book on Wattpad, and respond to the writer.
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