When Closure Calls

Jeff Taylor, OP Contributor

losure has no time constraints.
( One night I dreamt about an old

girlfriend. I had to be careful
because I talk in my sleep. It was three
years since I last saw Michelle and I had-
n't thought about her until then. “Your
dream probably doesn’t mean anything,” a
co-worker suggested. “But you shouldn’t
tell your girlfriend Vicky about it.” I
agreed, and left it at that.

Two weeks later, I went to a job semi-
nar, and as I drove into the parking lot the
weirdest gut-wrenching feeling came over
me. I entered the conference room and
sensed my old girlfriend’s presence imme-
diately. There she sat across the crowded
room,

 

Hoping Michelle wouldn’t see me, I
scrunched down in the first available seat
closest to the door. The temptation to
glance over was unbearable. After the
painful session ended, I was the first one
to leave. Halfway down the hall, I stopped
and thought to myself, I’m being stupid. I
should at least say hello to her, and waited for
her to come out.

I forget how nervous Michelle used to
make me feel. She said that she noticed
me as soon as I walked through the door.
After a little chitchat, she offered, “Would
you like to grab a coffee?” We drove to a
Bino’s down the road. Oddly, the restau-
rant smelled like vinegar.

Michelle looked well, and as soon as

we sat down she said, “As you can see, I
am still single.” Hmm, I thought about my
reply, and all the memories of what we
used to have surfaced within a second. We
had an intense, passionate, purely physical
relationship.

She was eight years my senior, and
after her I believed all young men should
date an older woman at least once in their

was, and I remembered how I used the
special ingredients to seduce her. I used
that same recipe to snag Vicky.

The conversation switched to
Michelle’s life. While she talked I thought
I felt one of her legs brush mine, but I
shrugged it off. Then, I noticed her mir-
roring my movements, the dance of
flirting began; however, I didn’t feel that

Closure has a mind of its own; it doesnt

care about timing. It can interrupt your life
when you least want it to.

life. I remembered once telling her,
“You’re so much woman that I can only
handle half of you.” Michelle was the rea-
son my current relationship with Vicky
was so fiery. But, what did she want, to
pick up where we left off? I had to tell her
the truth, “I’m seeing someone. We live
together.” But Michelle didn’t appear
upset.

I talked about Vicky and how similar
the two were, and yet, they were extreme-
ly different. I wanted to show a photo of
her, but I said, “I don’t have one—in fact,
I don’t think I ever had a picture of you.”

“That’s because you never asked me
for one!” Michelle responded immediate-
ly, and then it hit me. She replied in the
exact tone when we were dating. I forgot
how all our discussions often elevated
into arguments.

Still, we had a lot of catching up to do.
I told her Vicky was an excellent cook and
that I still didn’t know how to cook. “Yes
you do!” she quickly reminded me. “You
made that spaghetti—it was delicious!” It

way about her any more. And there was
that pungent odour again, and the adage
came to mind, “You can catch more flies
with honey than you can with vinegar.”
I’m sure that stench came from her—
maybe she had fish and chips for dinner
earlier. Maybe this was a sign, warning me
not to forsake what I had with Vicky. The
evening wore on; we gave each other a
long hug, and went about our lives.

Closure has a mind of its own. It does-
n't care about timing. It can interrupt your
life when you least want it to. When it
comes, it has to be dealt with. I thought I
would never run into old girlfriends, espe-
cially this one. Then it dawned on me.
Maybe Michelle needed closure. Maybe
she had been thinking of me, wondering
what I was doing, and whether I was still
single. I wasn’t about to answer those
questions. Vicky once said, “You should
always move forward because it’s bad luck
to go backwards.” I agreed with her. The
past is the past.

 

FACIAL.

 

 

18 | www.theotherpress.ca

 

REJUVENATION cunic

 

 
  

Do You Suffer From Acne?

No Drugs!
No Cream!

 

 

March 9/2005