Acceptance

The sunny day was the final insult. Rebecca had woken up, made her breakfast, and stepped outside to feel the temperature. When she looked down there was a package at her feet. It was large, but not too big for her to carry inside, and wrapped in brown wrapping paper. She set it on her kitchen table and leaned against the counter. If only she could go back five minutes to when her only worry was if she should wear shorts or pants today.

Her parents' minds took over her own. “A young, single girl is a target,” they had carefully warned Rebecca when she first moved into the rental house. “You have to be careful, trust no one.”

The box could contain a bomb, ready to explode at any moment. It could be poisoned. It could be a decoy, part of a master plan to get into her house. Her parents would be furious that she even touched the box. They would’ve told her to call the police, get inside and lock all of the doors and windows.

The dreamer in Rebecca was hopeful, though. This could be the start to her great adventure. It could be her letter to Hogwarts, the beginning of her quest, the start of her journey as the hero. The contents of this box could be what turns her dreary old life into one full of excitement.

The reality was much worse than a bomb. It wasn’t the start to her adventure either. Taking a deep breath Rebecca grabbed a knife and opened the box, finding nothing but her belongings. It had been six months since the breakup and he had finally sent her the few things that were left at his place.

She knew he was mad, anyone would be. It’s not everyday that your girlfriends of three years comes out as gay. She had tried so hard to be kind when she told him. “A part of me always knew,” she had said. “I was just scared. You taught me that I could be brave.” He did not react the way she thought he would, or maybe he reacted exactly as she thought. He yelled and screamed and even cried. It had broken her heart.

“I’m sorry,” she had whispered when she stood up to hug him. He had accepted the hug at first, but soon pushed her away. “I don’t want you to be sorry,” he said. “I thought you were the one.”

She had to tell him, she told herself as she stared at the box. To live a lie is no way to live. When she closed her eyes she could still see the way his smile dropped when she told him, the way his eyes welled with tears when he started to yell. She knew even then he was not mad at her, he was just mad. Mad at the universe for allowing him to fall in love with someone he could never have. Mad at himself for letting himself fall in love with her. He never could have known, she barely knew until she truly thought about why she didn’t love him as much as he loved her.

Her heart hurt as she began to pull the contents out of the box. A sweater she kept there because his apartment was always cold. Her old pair of glasses she left because she always forgot to bring her new ones. A notebook full of scribbled notes and little doodles.

She pulled them out and gently set them on the table. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at the bottom of the box. A note sat folded with her name on it. She reached inside and pulled it out. “It’s taken me some time to write this out,” it read. “You know I’ve never been very good with writing out my thoughts.” She smiled at his candor.

“I wanted to say sorry for my reaction, but I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it in person. I let my own feelings take over, and I think you understand why. I am happy you finally get to be who you’ve always been, and the fact that I played any part in that makes it all seem worth it. I think it’ll take me some time, but I hope one day to be able to come to terms with this and become your friend. I love you no matter what.”

She smiled as she traced over his messy handwriting. She wiped the couple of tears that had fallen down her cheeks and held the piece of paper to her heart. Acceptance never felt so good.