The Final Goodbye

Anna: (staring down at her coffee) “I don’t even know where to begin. It's like everything is falling apart around me.“

James: (sighs deeply) “The truth is, I've been feeling it too. The separation that has been created between us is of late making me feel uncertain. I can't tell how we ended up here.”

Anna: (at last looking at him) “Maybe we just lost interest in each other, James. We used to be so connected, but now… it's like we're both living in different universes.”

James: (nodding slowly) “Yes, you're right. It's as if we've both transformed, but not in the same way. And instead of evolving together, we've grown distant.”

Anna: (her voice breaking a little) “Back then, I used to want to spend every second of my day with you, now, I have an idea of where these talks are heading, so I feel a sense of dread before they even start.”

James: (in a quiet voice) “It's like you're afraid of confessing the fact.”

Anna: (her eyes getting wet with tears) “I am. For I feel that once we put into words the issue that is pressing between us, then it seems there's no retreat after that. Still, pretending it's all right isn't fair to you or to me.”

James: (trying to hold her hand, he pulls back) “I don't want to hurt you, Anna. You've been a major part of my life. We've had so many common experiences… but clinging on to what is slipping away from us is only hurting us even more.”

Anna: (her tears falling) “I know… I don’t probably… I can't believe it's even happening like this. You can remember, can' t you? The trips we prepared, the future that we talked.”

James: (eyes misty with emotion) “I do remember each one of them. Yet, the dreams were based on who we were then rather than who we are today. I'm so sorry to say this, but I reckon we have outgrown those dreams!”

Anna: (nodding, using her hand as a rag to dry her tears) “We’ve become different people. And I’ve been trying to force us back into who we were, but it’s not working. It’s like trying to fit a puzzle piece into the wrong spot… it just doesn’t belong anymore.”

James: (leaning back in his chair, staring at the table) “It’s not just the little things, is it? It’s the core of who we are now. I’ve been feeling this emptiness, this void between us, and I kept hoping it was just a phase, that we’d find our way back to each other. But the truth is… I don’t know how to anymore.”

Anna: (nodding, her voice trembling) “Neither do I. And that’s the hardest part. Loving you used to be so easy. Now it feels like we’re just going through the motions, like we’re actors playing roles we’ve forgotten the lines to.”

James: (tears in his eyes, voice thick with emotion) “Anna, I don’t want to drag this out and make it more painful than it already is. But I need you to know… I’ll always care about you. You’re such a beautiful soul, and I’m sorry I couldn’t be the person you needed me to be.”

Anna: (voice breaking) “And I’m sorry I couldn’t be the person you needed either. We both deserve more than what we’ve been giving each other.”

James: (looking away, trying to compose himself) “I thought love was enough. I really did. But now I see that love isn’t just about feeling something… it’s about choosing each other, every single day. And somewhere along the way, we stopped choosing each other.”

Anna: (nodding, more tears falling) "Yes, we did. And I am still trying to deny it. But, to be honest, can we somehow keep ignoring the reality here? It's really not right for us to keep dragging this on just because we hope that somehow everything will work out on their own," She said.

James: (finally looking at her, eyes filled with sadness) "No, we can't. My guess is that, deep down, we've both been knowing it for a while. But we were so reluctant to accept it, to detach ourselves from the things that remained."

Anna: (whispering) "Letting go...it seems so absolute. Like we're erasing the whole thing we've built together."

James: (shaking his head) "No, Anna, we are not deleting our history. Certainly, they are always going to be parts of us the memories and the moments. But it is also true that the best way to love is to know when to release. It is not about erasing, it is about acknowledging that the time has passed, and we are different from what we used to be."

Anna: (looking at him with a mixture of love and pain) "I did not realize that it was going to turn out like this. In my daydreams, I thought we would grow old together, look at the sunsets, and laugh at the same old jokes."

James: (his voice trembling) "Nope, myself too. Nonetheless, life has its own way, doesn't it? There are times, as we know, that our assumed path is divided into two and we can't blame but pick the right side," He whispered.

Anna: (sighing deeply, her voice filled with resignation) "It seems that this is the point where we have to decide on which road we will take. One of the hardest things that I'll do will be not to leave with anger, James. And, I agree, we should focus on those happier times, the love that tied us together," She voiced out with quiet resignation.

James: (nodding) "That is what I have in mind too. I want to remember you as the person who made me laugh, who was never too far away when I was lonely. You have been my anchor, Anna and I will forever be indebted to you for that," He said.

Anna: (smiling sadly) “You were my anchor that kept me grounded when everything else collapsed. I think it's time we stopped being each other's safety nets, to discover our own paths.”

James: (looking at her with a mix of sadness and gratitude) “Perhaps it is. Maybe we need to figure out who we are apart from each other.”

Anna: (nodding, her voice soft) “Is it going to be difficult, do you think? Leaving behind the things we shared, the times we spent together?”

James: (softly) “Yeah, it's going to be. But, sometimes, the most difficult ones are the ones that need to be made the most.”

Anna: (reaching out and touching his hand) “I'd rather you be happy, James. I wish that you can find someone who you feel complete with, who makes you a better version of yourself.”

James: (holding her hand, his voice filled with emotion) “I have the same wish for you, Anna. You are worth all the happiness life can bring. I still hope despite this ending, you still know that you will always be a part of my heart.”

Anna: (tears streaming down her face) “And you’ll always be right here in mine. That will remain forever gone. But perhaps it's about time we free ourselves from what was and let what will be in.”

James: (nodding, tears falling) “Perhaps it is the possibility. Like… I'd like you to know that maybe, just maybe there's not a single moment that I regret having with you, Anna. You've been my all, Anna with you everything.”

Anna: (her voice choked with emotion) “And indeed you have been my everything, James. But sometimes, our relationship isn't strong enough to hold us together. It's ironic that love is sometimes the thing that releases us.”

James (whispering) “I will really miss you, Anna.”

Anna (barely audible) “I will miss you too, James.”

They sit in silence for a moment, both in their own thoughts, and aware that this is the end. The weight of their decision is laced with the heaviness that hangs in the air; but, there is also the sense of release, of acceptance.

Anna finally stands up, her legs unsteady as she picks up her stuff. James is following her, both of them going slowly, as if they were just starting to realize the finality of the moment.

James: (looking at her for one last time) “Take care of yourself, Anna.”

Anna: (nodding and barely being able to speak) “You too, James

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