No Longer His

Elmer stood by the front of the steam engine train, watching stacks of smoke puff up like heavy breath in the cold morning. He looked over his shoulder and squint from the freezing wind cutting his eyes. Elmer spun around and buried his neck in his scarf as he glanced up at his girl, Melanie. Melanie stood with only a sweater on and fingerless gloves; yet despite the blistering winds and the early hour before sunrise, Melanie stood warmly still, without shivering an inch.

Elmer swallowed dry saliva as he curled his toes up in his boots beside his remaining suitcase, leaning into the awkwardness of their goodbye.

“I have something of yours I thought you’d want back.” Elmer tucked his mitten in his jacket and pulled out a closed fist. He opened his mitten and revealed a thin gold necklace with a letter “M” on it. Melanie smiled politely, though her eyes dropped.

“I found it when I was packing,” Elmer extended it towards her.

Melanie took it without looking. “Okay…”

Elmer read the situation. “You don’t have to keep it. I just know I’m not going to—”

Melanie found the insult in his blabbering and tried shrugging it off.

Elmer held his mouth open in realization. “No, not like that. I just…” He looked down and bobbed up and down. “Mel, I thought… sorry…” Elmer chuckled, embarrassed he offered his true emotions.

“You thought what?” Melanie encouraged him, daring herself to hear the truth.

“I thought it didn’t matter to you if I made it as an actor. I thought you said you… I thought you said you loved me no matter what happened.”

“I did. But how am I supposed to love you when you’re leaving?” Melanie confessed.

“Melanie, I… I know that chasing a dream like this isn’t easy. Maybe I was in over my head. Acting’s just not for everyone. But… maybe… I can still make part of my dream come true?”

Melanie backed away slightly. “What do you mean?” she said uncomfortably.

“I mean that you and I can still be together. That… is, maybe, the only dream I want. The only dream I have left.”

“Elmer—” Melanie shifted in place, scoffing. “I can’t pack up and go with you. I have my own life. I have a job and my friends.”

“We don’t have to be apart. We can try and make it work back in Georgia. The world we can make there, together, will be better than what we have here.”

Melanie stood perfectly still. It suddenly clicked. “Your world.”

“What?” Elmer asked dumbly.

“Not ours. Yours, Elmer. There’s a world where you and I are happy together, and that world only exists if we build it together. But you’ve always wanted me to join yours, but not ever be part of mine. You asked for my support and I offered you my heart. You asked me to stand by you and I bled for you. That is the world you envisioned. Me bending my knee to you. And I did. For two years. The world you’ve envisioned looks like me giving up all I have to be with you; yet here you are beside this train, waiting to board – and I can’t imagine this day wouldn’t have happened. Regardless of my support or anyone else’s you weren’t going to make it. Do you know why? Because you were going to have to do it yourself. And that was never part of the world you envisioned.”

Elmer stared wide-eyed in hurt and shock. The train suddenly shouted its horn, warning the stragglers to board immediately. Elmer tried to looking back to find his car but he was transfixed on Melanie. He couldn’t speak.

“Go,” Melanie said politely. “You’re going to miss the train.”

Elmer couldn’t decide if he wanted to look angry or heartbroken, but he couldn’t decide in time and simply looked afraid, a common expression to Melanie. He grabbed his remaining suitcase by the handle and boarded.

Melanie watched the train chug down the tracks, crossing over a bridge, as lovers waved farewell to each other, promising passionate embraces upon reuniting. Melanie stood happily alone.