[5/6]The man who had become invisible stood in her living room listening to all of this. He was twenty-five years old. He had changed so much since he last saw her and now part of him wanted to laugh a hard, cold laugh. She gave him a small photograph of the boy, who was now five. Her hand was shaking. She said: "you stopped writing. I thought you were dead". He looked at the photograph of the boy who would grow to look like him, who, although the man didn't know it then, would go to college, fall in love, fall out of love, become a famous writer. They stood for a long time in silence as he stared at the picture. At last he managed three words. "Come with me". The sound of children shouting came from the stree below. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Come with me" he said, holding out his hand. Tears rolled own her face. Three times he asked her. She shook her head. "I can't," she said. She looked down at the floor. "Please" she said. And so he did the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life: he picked up his hat and walked away...
Before my emotions get ahead of me, before my lips take action of moving faster than my brain, I have a moment where my whole mind shakes. It affects my vision and it affects my breathing. It is a physical warning to think about what I say before I say it. Sometimes I listen to this warning, sometimes I don't.
And sometimes when the words come out, time stops after they are voiced. I stand there in awe. And silence. Not in regret, but wishing I had a pen and paper to write those words down so I could keep them forever.
I've always been a fan of this song by Savage Garden...
Is this version more or less romantic? You be the judge:
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