Amicable Breakup

I asked Death to a coffee shop.

I ordered mine with milk and sugar. They got theirs black.

I paid.

We sat at a table by the window, but Death needed to charge their phone, so we moved to a corner table near an outlet.

“How are you holding up?” I asked, between cool blows on my coffee.

Death avoided eye-contact and drank by the gulp.

“Look, let’s just get right to it.” I said. “I am happy with Life now. I wake up not wanting to just fall back asleep. I find joy in the littlest things. I’m taking care of myself. I’m writing again. I have friends who are getting married and others that are having kids. And I know I want that one day. I know I want to work my way to that. Through Life I can have that.”

Death fumbled with the charger, pretending to read their cup.

“We tried. You and I. We gave it a shot and it was not good. Not for me, anyway. Definitely not for me. Or anyone else around me. This… you and I… This will never be.

I thought I wanted it. But I was young. I was scared. And I was alone. Or at least, I thought I was alone. I guess more accurately I was blind to all the love in my life. The love you wanted me to leave behind for you. So I’m sorry. I am madly, deeply in love with Life now. Every day feels new. They encourage my future. Whereas you only brought up my past. You gaslit me into believing I couldn’t move on from it… from you. But I can. And I have.”

Death looked up at me for the first time. I never even noticed how green their eyes were.

“I won’t forget you. I won’t forget the time we shared. Because, ultimately, it made me who I am. And it lead me to Life.”

Death got up, nodded their head, and left one last time.

And that was more than enough for me.

“Thank you.” I sighed through the final blow on my coffee before taking a sip.