The Season Of Love

The machines were ticking everywhere, and a faint heavy breathing could be heard. It was a man—Kais. He was on his deathbed, the only thing he could do was look out of the window. A flower petal came and landed on the palm of his hand.

“Hmm… it’s spring again, it brings back some memories. Oh, it’s my darling Beth.

Reminds me of the time we met.”

Here we are in Kais’s past memories, when he first met Beth. It was the first day of the spring season. A nerdy-looking girl was sitting on a bench as a guy passed by with his dog. Their eyes might have met for just a few seconds, but it felt like they had known each other for an eternity.

Every day, they would meet for a while. They never talked, but their eyes spoke everything.

It was as if it was love at first sight. Some words were left unspoken, which left a tinge of sadness at not being able to say them, but someone had to start the conversation.

“Hello, madam, I’ve always seen you sitting here, and may I say you’re very beautiful? I wanted to get to know you.”

“Sure… I’ve seen you as well, with your puppy. I’m Beth. What’s your name, gentleman?”

“I’m Kais. Would you like to take a stroll with me through this park?”

“Yes… I would love to.”

As both of them took a stroll in the park and talked, both seemed happy. At that moment, they both fell for each other, but fate was never with them.

It was time for war; many of the men in the country had to be in the army. They were both afraid of this change, but with a heavy heart, they had to be apart. All those years, they exchanged letters, giving hope that he would return soon.

Newspapers started writing about the war, the soldiers, and their bravery. Beth received a letter from Kais saying that it might get sent to the front line. Her heart broke. She was in constant fear of losing him and didn’t know what to do.

It had been four years of not receiving any letters from him. She had given up hope, but a bit of her wanted to believe that he would return. It was no surprise that she stayed single, but her family pressured her to get married and told her to forget the love of her life, saying that he was dead. They pressured her to marry someone she wasn’t happy with.

On the battlefield, the only thing Kais thought about was his beloved—her smile when he returned. He wondered if she was mad or had forgotten him.

At night, the rival army got into the army's base and attacked. Many soldiers were injured and lost their lives.

The next day, the newspapers were filled with news of the deaths of the front-line soldiers. Beth heard this news and was devastated.

The man she had wished to return so dearly had left her with a broken heart, tears falling down her cheeks, and the bit of hope she had that he would return was crushed. She couldn’t hold in her feelings anymore, and that day she cried her heart out.

She hated that God had to take away her hope, her heart, her beloved, and her everything. It was not easy for her to accept.

A few days after the attack, the whole camp was covered with the smell of blood, and piles of dead bodies were there. When the rescue team arrived, they searched for anyone alive. At that moment, they saw someone leaning against a tree and breathing heavily. They quickly went and took that person to the health center. When they asked what had happened, the person said that everything was going smoothly until the rival army suddenly attacked.

Bombs were raining down, and it was difficult to be saved from that attack. He had been on water duty at the time, so he wasn’t affected much by the bombs and was leaning against the tree, looking half dead. The head captain of the army asked the soldier for his name and if he wanted to fight again for his country.

“I’m Soldier Kais, and I promised someone special that I’d win the war for her and return safely.”

It had been three years since the last attack. Their army was returning home, victorious in the war under the leadership of Kais. Returning to where they belonged, Kais was very glad to be with his love again. He decided to meet her first.

As he got off the train, he saw someone with a child waving goodbye to an old lady.

“Maybe one day Beth and I will have such a beautiful child and stay happily married.”

He went to the last address of Beth’s that he knew. There, he found out that she lived somewhere else now, but he got her current address from the person who lived there.

He was nervous, thinking about how he would face her after all those years of being apart. What would he say when she saw him there?

He knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked once more. A voice was heard.

“Mummy, there is someone at the door.”

But he didn’t hear it; he was too excited to see his beloved.

The door opened, and there stood Beth.

“Excuse me, how can I help you?”

“Beth… it’s me, Kais. You look so beautiful, as always.”

Beth couldn’t believe her eyes. She burst into tears. All that time she had thought he was dead. All of her hope that he would return had come true. He was there, standing in front of her, all fine.

“Beth, don’t cry, please… it hurts me to see you cry.”

Little footsteps were heard as a little girl peeked out from behind Beth’s skirt.

“Mummy, who’s this man, and why are you crying?”

“Hello, dear. I’m Kais. I was your mommy’s friend. She’s just happy to see me after so many years.”

“Yes, dear, he’s right. I’ll be back soon.”

Beth and Kais went to the park. As they walked, there was an awkward silence between them. Beth broke that silence and spoke.

“Kais, if you were alive, why didn’t you keep writing letters to me?”

“What are you saying, Beth? I always wrote you letters, every single day.”

“You… wrote me letters?”

“Did you never receive them? How can it be?”

At that moment, they realized that Beth’s husband had received all those letters and had burnt them to ashes.

“Beth, I missed you so much. Every single day, each passing moment, reminded me of you. And here, you have a family, a daughter. I feel like I don’t belong in your world anymore.”

“Oh… Kais, I never wanted this to happen. My family forcefully married me to him. I can’t even think about loving someone other than you.”

“Beth, let’s go away from this place—you and me together. What do you say?”

“Kais, how can you say such a thing? I have my daughter here, and what would I tell her? I can’t do this. I will always love you, but I think it’s better if we move on with our lives as they are.”

“I think it’s difficult for you to give up on the life you’ve built here. It’s selfish of me to think we could be together now.”

How can they be together if they never can be, if they had stayed apart for too long for their love to be seen?

“I’ll always love you, Beth, and I hope you remember that forever. Goodbye, Beth, forever,” said Kais, and walked away from there, leaving Beth with her life.

That was the day he last saw Beth, the love of his life. For once, he had thought about his whole life with her, and now they were strangers to each other.

“Life’s great, isn’t it? I’ll soon be with you, Beth,” said Kais, looking at the spring sky, remembering the day his heart was stolen, the day he fell in love.