Today, as I was walking to dinner, I passed through the heavy iron gates of my college and I saw two people standing in silence against the low wall next to the gate. She was looking off the to side and he was looking not quite at her, but past her at an angle. If ever silence could be described as palpable, tension as tangible, this would be the reason why. I felt uncomfortable even walking past them, as it seemed very obvious to me that they were having a conversation so difficult they had nothing really left to say. To prolong this relationship would probably be a bad idea, but to just let go was an impossible task. So they stood in the cold, with their coats on and gloves off, not being able to bring themselves to look at the other. Walking past them, I felt as if I were not only intruding on a private moment, but interrupting a tense and prolonged good-bye. But I had already walked through the gate, so I couldn't just turn around and walk back without making things more awkward. So, I pushed through, left them to their break up and had quite a nice dinner with my friends.
When I was walking back to my room, I took the same route, since I had no reason not to. To my surprise (though, in hindsight, not really, since breaking up is hard to do), they were still there, an hour later. They had barely moved. He looked as morose as he did an hour ago, as if he were at a loss; he could see the problems there but did not know how to proceed; she looked like she was sick of his inability to fix all their problems. It seemed as if the hour in the cold had not resolved much but Kelsey and my footsteps seemed to jar something in the couple. Though she had been leaning against the wall, our presence seemed to impel her into action. Abruptly, she left her partner standing by the wall without so much as a word, her boots clicking on the paved stones. He could only look after her, unwilling, and perhaps, unable to follow, as the last vestiges of their relationship trailed behind her.
When I was walking back to my room, I took the same route, since I had no reason not to. To my surprise (though, in hindsight, not really, since breaking up is hard to do), they were still there, an hour later. They had barely moved. He looked as morose as he did an hour ago, as if he were at a loss; he could see the problems there but did not know how to proceed; she looked like she was sick of his inability to fix all their problems. It seemed as if the hour in the cold had not resolved much but Kelsey and my footsteps seemed to jar something in the couple. Though she had been leaning against the wall, our presence seemed to impel her into action. Abruptly, she left her partner standing by the wall without so much as a word, her boots clicking on the paved stones. He could only look after her, unwilling, and perhaps, unable to follow, as the last vestiges of their relationship trailed behind her.
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