[Tea Party?]

It’s raining outside.

My room is clouded, as if plunged in a dark fog.

“Haha! That might be a bit too poetic to say here.”

The soft pattering of the raindrops hitting the window echoes through the room. A lulling rhythm calms me down, his story unravelling before my eyes. Developing before I even need to think about it.

The warmth of the mug fills me inside as I slowly sip the tea. Each gulp feels like a beat of his story…

“Or should I say mine? Is there a difference?”

“We are and aren’t the same. The lessons are both mine and his.”

My fingers tap on the wooden desk.

He hasn’t understood anything yet, but he’s slowly moving forward. And that’s what he needs to do. Even if it’s impossible not to.

He still doesn’t seem to know what he’s truly aiming for… though deep down, he actually does. Both he and the world know. But nothing he does will change the outcome. He can’t stray from the path.

“I learnt it all too late, haha. And it really hurt to realise it at the end.”

I just need both of you to accept the story as is and that it couldn’t be changed. It might feel forced, but there was no way around it.

The journey is long.

“I can say that.”

He needs to continue, one step at a time. Even if unwillingly and knowing nothing at all. No “why”? No “how”? Not even a “what” or “where”?

Because after all, I’m thankful. Something remains, and I have now moved on. And I carry everything I learnt from it.

You might not know what this is, but I guess you can make it a tea party for the both of us…

…a short one, with no invitation needed beyond reaching here.

“If it’s about me and him, or me and a different me, or me and myself...”

Decide for yourself. You are the one who interprets what happens, and if it doesn’t resonate with you enough for you to make something out of it, that’s fine.

The other one decides what I may say here and what must remain unsaid. So I guess it’s goodbye for now, even if you might only see me by the end, or maybe way before. That is if you even want to get there. If you really want to continue from here.

Feel free to choose.

I sip the last of my tea, still warm, as I set the cup down.