Sacrifice destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else.
Anthony stared out of his bedroom window. The night was dark and the world slept. Silently he watched. Waiting for the first hints of light and color to creep up on the horizon. The sky was clear and luminous. An ocean of stars. The beauty of the scene and the possibilities that lay beyond it transfixed him. For too long have I watched this horizon…I can’t wait any longer. Behind him, Jane was still fast asleep. Her rhythmic breathing disturbed him deeply. The same sound used to bring him the greatest comfort. Now it only fuels his doubts, fears, and guilt. I have made the right choice… this is the only way. Silently and with great difficulty, he shifted his gaze from the horizon. He moved in the dark lightly, careful not to wake her up. It would only make things more difficult. More painful. This was the hardest choice he has ever had to make and he wasn’t ready to back down. Anthony intended to move as silent as a cat but he failed miserably. He was too nervous. He kept bumping into things. A chair here. A closet there. He found his suitcase standing alone in the corner of the room. Carefully he opened it and started packing his things. Every item he placed in that bag reminded him of her. Every item was a painful stab at his heart. Afraid that his resolve might be weakening he quickly distracted himself by thinking of the journey ahead of him. The longest journey. The thought brought a smile to his face. He was packing light. He did not want anything weighing him down. He pulled a book from a nearby drawer and his smile faded. I remember you.
His memory quickly replayed a scene in a library. Anthony distracted and deep in his thoughts as always bumped into a rack of displayed books and it came crashing to the floor. Embarrassed he quickly bent down to collect them. A girl quickly arrived on the scene and gently said giggling. It’s OK. Placing the rack here was a poor decision on my part. This is the third time today. The first thing he saw were her shoes. Astonishingly pink with about fifty different pictures of Pikachu drawn all over it. She kneeled to assist him and Anthony saw her for the first time. He had never learned how to talk to girls so as always the only thing that came out of his mouth was a collection of ahhs and umms. That made her smile.
The memory faded away. The scene was too painful for Anthony and he shook his head to get rid of it. Before he can continue his packing, he felt something different. It took Anthony a moment to realize what changed. Jane’s rhythmic breathing had stopped. Panic gripped him. His heart raced and he felt his hands shake. He could feel her eyes…her beautiful blue eyes on the back of his head. He pretended not to notice and continued packing. Behind him, Jane got out of bed effortlessly. Unlike him, she was calm and in control. She moved gracefully to his side. She went down to her knees next to him. Anthony’s heart fell. Please don’t. I have to do this. She reached into his suitcase and started arranging them.
“You were never good at packing,” Jane said smiling.
“Women are always better at this kind of stuff,” said Anthony.
Her smile faded and she nodded. He watched her silently. She was packing his bag for him. She was helping him leave her. Is this a mind game? Is she trying to guilt me into staying? I won’t. Many thoughts leaped to his mind. He did feel guilty. She was not the kind of woman that would play games. Jane wouldn’t try to guilt me. She would not even try to convince me. With Jane’s help, they quickly finished packing. Anthony was about to get up but Jane gently placed her hands on his shoulders and he went back down to his knees. Such was the power of love. A six-foot man was brought to his knees by the slightest hint of force from a woman half his size. The true power in her touch was not in her strength but her unwavering gentleness.
“Is your mind made my love?” Jane asked.
“Yes.”
“Do you know how much I love you?” Jane asked again.
“I know it. I know that you love me and I know that I love you too.”
“Then why leave? Why throw away what we have here? Please understand I’m not trying to convince you to stay… I need to understand”
“I have to go, Jane, I have to…no I need to find out.”
“Find out what?”
“If I’m good enough… if I can go through the longest journey… maybe then I’ll believe.”
“Believe what?”
“That I can do anything I want. That I’m good enough. That it wasn’t just a silly dream I had.”
“You are good enough for me… cast out these thoughts.” Jane reached out and held his hands then said, “Everyone loves you, just accept that and forget these ill thoughts.”
Anthony turned to face her. His face streaked with tears he reached out and moved his hand through her beautiful hair. Smooth as silk and the silver color of the moon it made her look like an angel. He leaned and kissed her forehead gently. Then he got to his feet. Anthony picked up his bag and left the room. He stepped out of the house and stopped at the garden gate. His gaze turned to the heavens. So many stars. Jane followed him out. She wore a white sleeping gown that billowed behind her as she walked over to him. Standing side by side they both looked to the stars.
“It was not my intention to hurt you,” whispered Anthony.
“I know…yet you did,” Jane whispered back.
“If…if I don’t leave now I will always regret it, I will never be happy.”
“You don’t know that, you only believe it.”
“I wish I could stay, I wish I’d never met you… this moment will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
“I wish you could stay, and I’m happy I met you…I forgive you and I will remember you for the rest of my life.” She grabbed his hands and whispered, “go, Anthony, I know you can do it. I know you can finish the longest journey.”
He turned to her with tears in his eyes and saw that she was about to cry. He held her in his arms. Their foreheads embracing and their lips so close to touching they could both feel the kiss before it came.
“Why? Why are you so kind? Why do you believe in me?” Anthony asked his voice shaking.
“Because I love you,” She answered crying.
He kissed her. A kiss that stripped away the world around them. A kiss that neither will ever forget. A kiss that spoke of love and sang of pain. A kiss that lasted a lifetime. A kiss that should never have ended… but it did.
“I will carry our love across the stars, every time we look to the stars we will remember each other,” Anthony said lifting her face to look her in the eyes, “we will meet again.” then he kissed her again but it was different this time. The moment was over. He stepped back grabbed his suitcase and opened the gate to leave. He turned to look at her one last time, he held her gaze for as long as he could. Their eyes said what could never be written. When he could no longer look at her, he turned away and without another word, he left.
Jane stood alone in the garden. The wind blew at her hair and dress. She watched him walk towards the horizon. Then she watched him disappear. She waited until she saw his shuttle launch into space. She watched him fly towards the stars. She watched as he journeyed to find himself and become the man he was born to be. She watched for as long as she could. When she could watch no longer she turned away and walked back to their home. As she did, she whispered, “We will meet again.”
Sacrifice something given up or lost.