Michaela

         She was a ubiquitous breath of exhilaration, a fleeting moment of the purest joy any human had ever the pleasure to taste. Our friendship conflagrated brilliantly, coruscating the lives of those around us. Like the phoenix, we together shone brighter than any point of my existence, and then at her departure, dissipated to ash. Amidst our six-month relationship, Michaela fought with fervor to liberate me from the malaise I had accumulated in my past, and in doing such we discovered who I truly was.
         Attempting to define every aspect of my life that Michaela touched, is as daunting a task as naming what she did not. Most of our friends never believed me, but I did not enjoy Michaela’s presence at first. I found her too forward, too intrusive, too much a person for me to handle at that point in time. Her evenings were filled with vocal performances at local coffee shops, aromatic nights imbued with warmth and tranquility that I soon came to adore more than anything we enjoyed together. She had a voice that blended with cappuccino and a biscuit so well; succulent, soulful tones, undulated from her mouth like honey. I found myself at one of these earthy events a few weeks later and over a cup of Peruvian bean, a most spectacular bond grew, impervious to the world around us; her touch had begun.          
         I suppose, beyond the intricacies of etiquette and social acclamation, Michaela taught me the most titular lesson I had ever received. Through months of blatant embarrassing moments, flagrant insubordination towards the social norm, and early AM talks beside each other in the most eccentric of places, she taught me to simply love who I am. I never told her, but this lesson came to its pinnacle on our last weekend together on Galveston Island. We sat tacit on a pier jetting out into Galveston Bay, watching the sun make its retreat across the vast expanse of murky water that lay before us. A fascinating glimmer that cascaded off her emerald green eyes brought my stare directly at her, and in doing so, our gazes met, somewhere in that milky wilderness that lies between two people who care so much for each other. Breaking the silence Michaela whispered to me, “Robert…don’t ever be afraid to let who you truly are shine, because the person inside of you, is simply…beautiful.” The profundity of her words shattered my stability and with that my eyes welled, we exchanged “I love you.” Not another word escaped the aperture in our lips. Like contented mannequins we sat on the pier desiring to remember each other flawlessly, exactly as we were then. 
         The next morning Michaela flew from my life. I heard her movement and smelt her scent that early morning as she prepared to embark on her new life. The values she had instilled within me in such a paucity of time had proven her dedication and love towards me, there was no necessity for goodbye.

         That night I dreamt of the dilapidated pier and the auburn sunset that burned with nirvanic immortality, but I knew what we shared was not a dream, and time, nor any other force mightier than man, could erase us.