“Listen, old man. I feel for you. I really do. But I’m drawing the line, right here. It’s time to go.”

The old man looks down at the floor for a while, nodding slowly to himself. Then, finally, he gives in. Getting up from his chair, not without some effort on his part, he starts for the door.

He stops a moment, however, hand resting on the doorknob. “She won’t be there when you get back, you know.”

“What?”

“She won’t be there…” The old man turns, looks over his shoulder. His eyes look sad, almost. “You’ll go home and it will be empty.”

Of course, any other day and I would write off such talk as more senile babble. And maybe it is, but I can’t help but stand and stare, struck by the words.

That’s because, of course, she won’t be there. The old man’s right, and though I’ve spent all day dwelling on it, hoping and praying that she’ll return, that everything can go back to the way it was, the truth still remains. She’d walked out, and when I woke this morning, the bed was empty. The apartment was empty.

And now, it seems, so is everything else in my life.

Without another word, the old man opens the door, a gust of bitter wind rushing in passed him. He starts to walk out, but I rush forward, put my hand on his shoulder.

He stops, looking down at the pavement, outside. “Yes?”

“How do you know that?”

“Know what?”

“That she’s gone. How do you know?”

The old man shrugs, my hand falling from his shoulder, to my side. “I just do…”

Exiting the café fully, the door closes behind him. He walks down the sidewalk, on down the road. The cold air settles, finally, leaving nothing more than a slight aftertaste. And I just stand there, staring at the chair in which the old man had been sitting, and would probably sit in again.

Tomorrow, I think to myself. I will find out more tomorrow. As for tonight, I’ll just sleep on it.

Walking back across of the café, dark and still, I finish checking off the items on the list. Then, locking the door behind myself, I walk home through the streets, like a porcelain still life of what once was…