“Just two more semesters,” I tried to reassure her. But she left.
•
It’s as if I see her everywhere… Must concentrate. Must pass these exams.
•
She was at the supermarket. With that rich snob. Money helps but can’t take it to your next life.
•
Passed all but one exam. Need another additional semester. Dammit.
•
Still can’t get her face outta my head. I must be pathetic. At least my studies are going well.
•
Saw her in the carpark when I finished my shift… past year’s been hard. One semester left.
•
Surprised it went quickly. I’ve graduated. Finally.
•
Management is criminally incompetent but I’ll show them.
•
Got promoted after saving the company. Unlike those fools, I actually saw the crash coming. Should’ve recorded their faces.
•
She bumped into me, spilling my drink. Apparently broke up with him recently and wanted to “catch up”. I asked if she could recover my drink.
•••
“Crashes” was Second Runner Up for Vol 3-36 at Flash! Friday, August 2015.
This short story is inspired by and is a re-telling of the Chinese proverb “Spilled Water is Difficult to Retrieve” (覆水難收).