Tension Reveals Longing

"Hi."

"Hi."

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"I want one pack of chewing tobacco. How much does it cost?"

"Let me scan it. It’s twelve dollars and eighty-six cents."

"But where is the price? I don’t see the price on the package."

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"I’m sorry. Do you want to go to the front?"

"No, I can wait."

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"She’s staying to watch the show."

"No, I’m staying to make sure he’s safe."

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"You can see the price. I just scanned it."

"I don’t see the price on the package."

"I already told you the price. Do you want to buy it or not?"

"Do you understand what I’m saying? Are we speaking the same language? Do you even speak English?"

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"Please, go ahead."

"Yes, thank you."

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"Would you like to go to the front?"

"No, I’m not going anywhere."

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"Please, come forward."

"Yes, thank you."

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"Why don’t you go to your country?"

"Do I need to call the police on you?"

"Go ahead, call them."

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"Would you like to go to the front?"

"No!"

"Are you sure?"

"I’m not going anywhere until you're safe."

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"You’re obviously not fully conscious. Why don’t you go? It’s better for you to go."

"Hmm... Okay, I will."

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"Don’t take it personally. He’s just racist, and he’s drunk."

"I won’t."

"Breathe... Hhhhhh... Hhhhhh... Hhhhhh..."

"I was ready to fight."

"Me too, but you don’t want to fall into a further conflict. It would cause a bigger problem. You don’t need to fall with him."

"Hhhhhh... Hhhhhh..."

"Hhhhhh..."

"Ha... ha... ha..."

"Ha... ha... ha..."

"If he comes back, please call the police."

"He was drunk. He will go to sleep. He won’t come back."

"Yes, he was drunk. No, he won’t. He must go to sleep. But if he does, call the police. Be safe."

"Are you coming tomorrow?"

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"Please, come forward."

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"Yes, I’m coming."

"Are you?"

"Yes, I’ll be here."

"Good night."

"Have a good night."

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"Hi."

"Hhhhhh..."

"Your presence is more than enough."

"I’m sorry but your friends can leave my channel. You were never my friend. Don’t talk or text me again."

"I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’ll respect that. But what friends are you talking about? I wish you the best. You deserve it. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you for understanding. Take care of yourself too. It’s cold outside."

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"I just had the most stressful situation. I thought it would finally bring us together, but instead, it tore us apart."

"What happened?"

"I felt so exposed. My heart was wide open. I couldn’t leave him there without knowing if he would be safe. And now I can’t unsee how deeply I feel and care for him. I know he saw it too, but he’s too guarded."

"Please, tell me more."

"We’ve known each other for months and we feel deeply connected emotionally. But we’ve both been containing and keeping it within without taking action on it. I just said that his presence was more than enough, because I felt he was protecting himself, and I really thought he wasn’t prepared for a committed relationship. I never imagined that it would trigger him, but I can understand."

"How?"

"I was afraid once. I wanted love but if a relationship got close to being more intimate or permanent, I would find something bad in it to have a reason to run away. Sometimes, what you love or care for the most is what you’re most afraid of."

"I’ve never thought about that. What are you going to do now?"

"Now, I’m going to wait and take care of myself. He needs time and space. I chose him and can’t close my heart again, but he also needs to choose me. What am I supposed to do? I want him to be free."

"Why can’t love have a happy ending?"

"I’ve always believed in true love and even fairy tales, you know? I know it sounds silly, like a fantasy, but I’ve learned that loving sometimes means letting go and giving time and space until both are ready. I hope he will be ready someday. I already am."

"Are you willing to wait?"

"He opened my heart wide open. I can’t go back to where I was, burying my feelings as much as I could. There’s no way back. I’m not desperate and I’m not rushing either. He’s so important to me."

"How do you know you love him so much?"

"Because when he was in a stressful situation, I could never leave him. He asked me three times to go to the front but I refused them all. I could never leave him without knowing he was going to be okay. I truly care about him. People say there’s no love at first sight. Even though we were holding it back, I can’t deny it."

"I feel for you."

"It’s okay. I’m strong, and as I love him, I'll wait. He’s too important to let go or forget. He’s engraved in my heart and connected to my emotions. Even apart, I can feel his love. I just hope he can feel mine."

"Give me a hug. It’s okay to cry."

"I know. Thank you."