Chapter 60
Antonio said, “It’s all on me. Grace’s not at fault here. I caused this mess. I was just too grasping, never learning to value
what was right in front of me.
“I’m sorry, truly I am. Grace, I don’t have the nerve to ask for your forgiveness, but I hope you can still keep me in your memories.”
My dad tried to step in, but one icy glance from my mom and he just wilted, his head drooping low.
He couldn’t help but sneak peeks at my mom, his eyes always finding their way back to her.
I bet he had his own regrets brewing.
Sometimes it took losing something to see how valuable it really was.
For some folks, it was the unattainable and the irretrievable that seemed the most desirable.
After all the back–and–forth, Antonio coughed up some cash and was shipped back to his homeland.
As he was leaving, he threw me a question, “Will we meet again?”
“Not a chance,” I said without hesitation.
All of a sudden, he crumbled, crying his eyes out.
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he was, bawling and floundering, with everyone watching.
“Why did it all go so wrong?
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“Grace, you’ve been my rock for so long. I just figured you’d always be there, that no matter what, you’d find it in your heart to forgive me.
“I never saw the day coming when you’d walk out without a word, and the thought of losing you forever never crossed my mind.
“Once you were gone, the world felt off. I never meant to cause you pain. I just got swept up in the moment.
“When I finally came to my senses, I knew I wouldn’t pick Stella, but I was drawn to her free spirit, so I tried to mold you into her likeness.
“I figured if I pulled this off, I could keep both of you in my life, but I missed the fact that…”
He’d missed the fact that there was only one Grace on the planet.
Whether she was a saint or a sinner, she was unique, one of a
kind.
She couldn’t tolerate any dishonesty, and she definitely wouldn’t settle for being a substitute.
With my mom’s hand in mine, I was ready to head home. Antonio was back there, still trying to lay his soul bare.
“I came across the list of dreams you jotted down in your
diary.
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“Why is it that after all these years, we haven’t ticked off any of these simple joys? All we’ve got is that one fuzzy snapshot, and not even a single clear picture of us as a couple.
“Two decades of being in each other’s lives, a decade of loving each other, and all it’s brought me is regret.
“I was blind. I should have seen it coming. My own desires blinded me.
“I came here thinking, even if I couldn’t take you home, making up for some regrets would be good. I never thought it would turn out like this…
“Grace, is there any chance you could forgive me?”
Antonio’s voice was laced with sorrow.
Yet, I kept my gaze forward, never turning back.
The end.