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Constellations
bashful grin. Offering a smile and a firm squeeze of your shoulder as
reassurance, he ruffled your hair, eyes shining brightly in the
darkness.
‘Hey, tell ya what, I dare you to start counting those stars, and keep going ’til
you finish. See if I stop loving you before then.’
At the time, you didn’t really understand how much power those
words would have over you—sure, you had both laughed over how
cheesy and cliché he was being, but looking back now, you cry over it
because when you think about it, all you feel is regret. But then you
ask yourself why? Didn’t you already live your life with him? What is
there to regret? Yet it doesn’t stop those bitter tears from falling and
reminding you of what you should’ve said. The least you can do is
fulfill his farfetched request.
Choking back any signs of your weakness, you turn around just in
time to see your daughter exiting the kitchen, leaving you alone with
your thoughts. Focusing your attention back through the glass pane,
you find that any fog that was previously clouding the midnight sky
has now cleared, revealing a black canvas dotted with countless
constellations and clusters of gleaming silver. In that moment, you
know that you’ll never stop counting, so long as there are enough
stars in the sky.
‘Three hundred and sixty five thousand, eight hundred and
ninety-three stars and counting, my love.’
‘
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