-Closure

[Words to image.]

'

Reuben used the old cane to hold himself up. He had stood long, and his tired legs shook from the weight. An occasional shifting between each locked out knee would offer temporary relief, only to be switched again which led to the same.

The air was chilly, and its morning fog had set in, as the day before and the day before, as always. 1883 London was a lonely place. 2:13 in the morning was even more so. But Reuben came to this spot, religiously, clinging to the hopes that one day he would reconnect with his love. Every nightlight cascaded a faint white ray to the sidewalks below, but this particular one always seemed to emit a more cherry hue. It stood out from the others, a flickering dance within the sky to ground fog. This was Reuben's corner. This is where he found himself every morning at precisely 2:13 AM. This is where he knew his love would be. But she never was.

He stood alone, and replayed the years in his mind, pausing to reflect on the happier ones, rushing by on those that were not so much. Always trying to justify the situation, his reasons for trekking out at such a bastardly hour. For the time being, he was content with his self-brainwashing. It kept hope alive. Despite him knowing that he was foolish. Still, he stood and waited. Perhaps today, he thought. Perhaps she will walk by and notice his consistency. She will be impressed by his dedication to their dream. By it wasn't hers. And she wasn't there. He stood alone. He glanced at the lamppost. He had a greater relationship with it, he thought. He knew why it was there, what its purpose was, and the color of its guidance, red. His heart was a sooty grey, having spent years swallowing the bitter hope each visit forced upon him, but he knew if he ever failed to be present, when the time was just so, he might miss his opportunity, and it would darken to a blackness. The same as the sidewalks, had the glows not been present, as was she.

2:13 came and went. He glanced at his timepiece, 3:26. It laughed at him, calling him a fool and he finally believed it. Reuben released his locked-out

knee and put equal weight on both legs. He knew closure would never come. Reuben walked away, the white lights guiding his path. He stood tall, this time with cane tucked under his arm. He didn't need it anymore. Reuben was free.