𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐔𝐬

Part 1 ~ Remember

Anika's Point Of View ~ 

The night is so calm, so still. Looking up and the stars shine bright along with a full moon. It's quiet and all I have are my thoughts. I bring my knees up to my chest, wrapping my jacket around me before stuffing my hands into the jacket pockets. 

I sigh is heard along with the distant sound of crickets. I shiver a little bit. 

It's late August. Winter. 

But it really is such a lovely night. I love to come out here, just to think especially and sometimes even to get away. 

I hear a voice coming from behind me . . 

"Anika? . . Anika? . . " 

I turn around to see my husband, Darren walking towards me. He slides open the back glass door that leads out onto the back verandah where I am. 

"Your out here again? . . Darren asks me. 

I shrug my shoulders. What can I say? 

Even if I say why I'm really out here all the time. Even if I just spill my heart out to him . . he'll just shrug it off himself and walk away. That's what he always does and from the countless times he actually has done that in the past . . 

I have learnt my lesson, I suppose. 

" . . just wanted some fresh air . . " I tell him. 

Turning back around and looking out to what is in front and around me. 

I look up at the sky. 

The stars still sparkling and the moon is still big and full. 

It's beautiful. I can't get enough.

As I look at the moon, something is coming back to me. 

A memory. 

I remember . . 

. . I remember him. 

I remember that night. I think back to it, that night we were both sitting on the sand of our local beach. It was just after dusk and we were sitting close to each other that night. I remember my arms were wrapped around my legs and he was sitting back on his hands with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. The sound of the waves was the only thing that was heard after it was said . . we didn't speak . It's like the both of us knew what was to come. 

Then all of a sudden he spoke to me. 

He said . . 

"Anika, look! Look at the moon! . . " 

" . . it's full tonight, it's so beautiful . . " 

I remember his voice sounded painfully soft, quiet and with a glimmer of quiver to it. It was like I could hear his heart breaking right in that moment. My eyes beginning to tear up as he spoke, feeling as if his were doing the same. I wanted to close to her. I remember that I shifted closer to him, slight. More and more each time. 

I remember . . 

That feeling of the warmth of his body. His smell even, he always smelt the same. It's like it was his smell. When I look up and see the moon, so full and so lovely like it is tonight . . it reminds me of him. I remember him. 

So beautiful. So bright and now so far away. 

Darren snaps me out of my deep thoughts as he suddenly speaks. 

"Don't stay out here too long, it's going to get a little colder . . " He tells me. 

I force a smile.