Fated Lovers

by Amythest Loring Lee (2018)

Reina sat at the end of the dock, watching the sun crash against the bay. The cool, spring breeze blew

through her long, brown hair. The events that played in her head was still nonsense. “This can’t be

right,” she whispered to the water. Memories and thoughts twisted in her head. Ollie… Tears threatened

to fall from Reina’s eyes. Visions danced through her head as footsteps sounded on the wooden dock.

“Miss Swanson? I wanted to see how you’re doing,” her neighbor stood behind her. Reina looked down

at the water where the waves would reach up to kiss the bottom of her feet. “Would you like to come

inside for some tea? It won’t take long to make-" the old man flinched at Reina’s sudden movements

when he spoke. Reina looked up at the nosy man; his hair disheveled and paint stained hands told

Reina he was just as exhausted as her. For the first time in the last 48 hours, she giggled. It felt good, yet

wrong. Ollie wasn’t coming back, and she was on a dock laughing at the nosy old man who lives next

door. A frown fell on her face.

“Do you believe in life after death? Ollie did,” Reina spoke to the waves that jumped to her, “He used to

tell me stories about how we were soulmates destined to be together, yet cursed…” The man with

confused face asked once again for her to come with him, but the woman in the white sundress ignored

him. “He always said something crazy like that after he tried to ask me out,” she nodded to herself, “He

had asked me out 24 times in the span of a year. Its ridiculous. 15 in the last month.”

With a sigh, the elderly man sat down. “That sounds like borderline harassment,” he chuckled. Looking

out he saw the sun dip deeper into the bay. The water calmed.

“Nah, I always declined with a smile and he’d tell me the story. I loved that story. He would always start

by calling me his angel,” Reina smiled. Glancing at her neighbor, she frowned; only for a second. “He was

asking me for the 25 th time in the park,” Reina played with her dress, “when it happened, ya know? I

think I would have said yes, yet fate was cruel. Ollie was right, I guess.” Tears threatened once again in

the woman’s eyes.

“Oliver Morris? He was right about what?” the elder questioned.

Reina giggled, and guilt bubbled within her. She whispered an apology which enticed the old man’s

confusion. “I can’t be happy. It just feels wrong like half of my potential is gone with Ollie. Ollie was right

about the curse. Fate’s curse, he’d say, was that we are meant to be together but cursed to be apart and

we will continue to relive our cursed lives together, chasing,” she said as they looked out on the glass-

like bay; the last few rays of sunlight clawed at the horizon. With a huff, Reina stood. “Goodnight Mr.

Borowski… uh,” she looked down with a smile, “Have a nice evening.” She left her neighbor there on the

dock and walked back to her home.

Her home was silent, the bouquets from Oliver were wilting, and blankets lumped in a pile on the couch.

She would claim that she slept on the couch, but she couldn’t sleep. Sitting down at the table, she began

her once forgotten lunch. 3 bites into her cool mac-n-cheese, she gave up on eating. Pictures of Ollie

clawed through her head and twisted her stomach into knots. Ollie’s smile always made her day

brighter, but now the thought makes her sob. Reina’s sobs were cut short by a knock at her door.

She sniffled as the door swung open. “Where are you, Dumpling?” a voice carried through the home. A

woman in a bright red dress waltz into the room. “Poor thing,” she boomed, “there’s no need to cry!”

Agitation nipped at Reina’s toes.

Turning to the one-woman show behind her, Reina rolled her eyes. “What are you doing here, Aunt

Claire?” she questioned with a bite. The said woman only twirled and held out her hands as if the

answer was obvious. Reina loved her aunt, but her aunt acted like a child at times. Frustration filled to

her waist.

A silence fell over the two women for just a second before Claire sighed. “Aunty Claire, sweet heart,”

she huffed, “Now, I’m here to take care of you!” She grinned from ear to ear as if this was the best idea

in the world. Claire pushed Reina to the couch, laid her down, and covered her with blankets. Reina’s

frustration morphed into exhaustion, yet when she closed her eyes all she could see is Ollie and his kind

smile. Tears fell for what felt like the 70 th time that day. “Reina, don’t cry sweetie. I’m here,” her aunt

cooed.

It was hard for the sobbing girl to breathe nor think. “I hate this! It’s not fair, Aunt Claire. He can’t be

dead because I haven’t told him yet,” she whined as the pain built in her chest. Aunt Claire looked on

with pity and confusion. Reina sobbed out an explanation, “I haven’t told him how he always makes me

smile and laugh when he does, how I never have a difficult day when he’s around, or how he just

completes me. I loved him, and I never got to tell him!”

Sympathy bubbled within Claire’s heart. It bled for the broken girl beside her. “It’s unfair, but you’re

stronger than loss. Oliver loved you so much that he was willing to give his life to make you stronger and

give you a future,” the flashy woman soothed the girl to a quiet and peaceful sleep. Claire looked down

at the young woman curled on the couch before cleaning the place up.

Aunt Claire was gone when Reina awoke. The night was full of nightmares and restlessness. The sun was

high in the sky urging her to get up. Her phone rang as she stretched. Hope for Ollie to be calling

bubbled in her chest for just a second. With a polite greeting, the officer on the other side asked for her

presence at the station once again. “Of course,” she whispered to the phone.

The station was quiet for a Saturday afternoon when Reina arrived. She sat at a desk across from Officer

Shultz, as introduced earlier to Reina. She answered the questions emptily until one provoked true

attention and emotion: Did you recognize the man? She mulled over this question for almost 72 hours.

She constantly asked herself this question and was constantly asked the question. She had never seen

the man before. She kept saying it over and over, but this time anger and agitation claw through her.

“No, I don’t know the man! Everyone continues to ask me that! I have never seen him before, but I hope

he suffers in his next life for what he’s done to Ollie and me,” the woman growled. Hot tears burned

streaks down her face. Officer Shultz sat in shock. Flashes of the day at the park pushed into her brain as

she spoke again, “I never got to tell him goodbye nor I love you while this mugger hides like a coward!”

The world dissolved around Reina as flashes of Ollie’s smile, the green grass, the mugger’s blur of grey,

the gun, and the splatters of blood played in front of her eyes. Ollie’s laugh, the bang of the gun, and her

own screams filled her ears.

“Miss Swanson!” Shultz called, grabbing her attention, “I was just asking because we found the man. He

turned himself in this morning and all he has asked was that you know he is very sorry for what he did to

you.” The room was spinning; she needed to lay down.

Standing, Reina left without another word. On her way home, she laughed with relief. The man that did

this was caught. Peace fell over her, and she could breathe. The young woman sat on her couch and

close her eyes from exhaustion. Just as she drifted off, a pair of lips touched her forehead. “Goodnight

my angel. We are destined to meet again soon, I promise,” a voice whispered in her ear. She felt safe as

she fell asleep dreaming of meeting Oliver again.