A Night for Goodbye

Almost fifteen years had passed since the night they had last seen each other. They had not run into one another even once, not even by chance on the street, until today, when their paths finally crossed again. In the narrow street lined with cafés, she was hurrying to a parent-teacher meeting for her son, while he was rushing to a business meeting. When their eyes met, they were already only a few meters apart and there was no longer any possibility of avoiding the encounter.

The first thing that came to both of their minds was the night they had last seen each other. They stopped in the narrow street, shook hands, and tried to behave casually and naturally through a brief conversation about their children and work, but the tension and discomfort hanging in the air could not be hidden. Even though the encounter felt somewhat awkward, both of them were glad they had met again. That meeting kept them awake late into the night, each of them reminiscing about the time that had passed.

Back then, when he had been transferred to the marketing team where she worked, he was thirty-four years old and seemed to have everything a person could wish for at that age. He owned his own house, had a stable relationship, and enjoyed a good reputation at work where he was respected by his colleagues. And yet, despite being satisfied with his relationship, his attention would occasionally be caught by an attractive woman.

Sometimes, several times throughout the day, his concentration would begin to fade, his gaze drifting away from the monitor and settling on her hand, where a ring sparkled beneath the sunlight pouring through the window. The ring rested on the finger next to her little finger, and in him it awakened feelings of envy and jealousy. He knew he had neither the right nor the reason to feel jealous, but since he could not suppress the emotion, all he could do was laugh at himself for it.

Slowly, his gaze would continue moving upward along her arm, all the way to her shoulders, where the thin white straps of her blouse glowed almost fluorescently against the contrast of her sun-kissed skin. In his thoughts, he could almost feel her soft and delicate skin beneath his palms. And it did not stop there. He would continue observing her long and slender neck, her chestnut-colored eyes — lively and slightly slanted — and finally her rosy, tempting lips, until suddenly he would realize what he was doing and quickly turn his attention back to the monitor.

She was so absorbed in her work that he was convinced she could not possibly notice him, but the truth was different. She did not even need to turn her head to know where his gaze rested — she could simply feel it — though she still pretended not to notice anything.

It did not bother her. One could even say she enjoyed it, especially during the moments when she lacked attention from her husband, while he was always there, kind and considerate.

There were moments when his gaze made her nervous, and she disliked that feeling. She felt powerless to stop the uneasiness, yet she did not know why. She tried to find the answer. She knew she was not attracted to him; there was nothing particularly remarkable about him physically. The only thing she could single out were his sky-blue eyes. So where did that nervousness come from, and why?

During the following six months they worked together, until he eventually left for another company, almost nothing changed. He believed that by seeing her every day, the strange force drawing him toward her would eventually disappear, that she would become ordinary like everyone else. But that never happened. His fascination with the forbidden fruit only grew stronger and stronger, to the point that on the days when going to work felt unbearable, she became the very reason he went.

During those few months, she struggled with herself, trying not to bring the frustration and anger from home into the workplace. The arguments with her husband became more frequent. She was unhappy because he no longer spent enough time with her — at least not as much time as she believed they needed together. She tried to understand him and knew it was not entirely his fault that he increasingly had to stay late at work, but what infuriated her was the fact that even during the little free time they did have, her husband spent it staring at the television instead of being with her.

The accumulated anger and resentment toward her husband finally erupted on the night of the farewell party organized for her colleague leaving the company.

The party took place at a Cuban cocktail bar located among the row of bars along the river. The evening was pleasant — not too warm — and from time to time a gentle breeze drifted in from the direction of the river. Everyone was in high spirits, and the celebration was going perfectly. After several cocktails, the atmosphere became even livelier, and almost everyone got up from their tables to dance. Some merely attempted to dance, while others clearly had experience with Latin dances and proudly showed it off.

She had been attending Latin dance classes for years, so it genuinely surprised her when he invited her to dance. She had never considered him the type who would know how to dance. As they moved together, pressed closely against one another, neither of them uttered a single word. She tried to steady her quickened breathing, while he focused on his steps, eager to impress her. At the same time, he enjoyed her scent, inhaling deeply and prolonging the pleasure for his senses as much as possible.

When the dance ended and they returned to the table, she noticed a missed call from her husband. She assumed he was probably about to head home after having drinks with his friends and would come pick her up, just as they had agreed. However, he had called only to tell her that he would be staying out later in the city and would not be able to pick her up after all, so it would be best if she simply took a taxi home.

Annoyed, and with a raised voice, she responded only with, “Okay,” before hanging up on him. Her face flushed red with anger — not because her husband was staying out longer, but because he could not even respect the agreement they had made. Deep down, she thought to herself that she would make him pay for this — for everything. To this day, she could never decide whether the desire for revenge came solely from the anger she felt toward her husband, or whether the alcohol also played a role in weakening her resistance to temptation.

When she returned to the table, her face was still red with anger, and it was impossible not to notice how upset she was. He immediately sensed that something was wrong and asked if everything was all right. She explained why she was irritated, quickly finished the rest of her cocktail, and immediately ordered another one.

Telling her there was no reason to worry because he would take her home himself, he gently pulled her by the waist back toward the dance floor, and they continued dancing. By the end of the night, they were laughing and enjoying themselves, while she had meanwhile consumed several more cocktails.

After the party ended, they headed toward the car, which was parked about a five-minute walk from the bar. Along the way, he had to support her because she was no longer steady on her red high-heeled sandals with ten-centimeter heels. They got into the car, and while he searched for a radio station, he thought to himself what a wonderful evening it had been. All this time she had been so close to him, yet so far away, but tonight, while they danced, he had been able to feel her skin and breathe in her scent.

He started the car, turned toward her, and asked where she lived so he would know where to drive. But with a sad expression, like a little child, she told him that she did not want to go home yet because it was still early. He leaned back into his seat, sensing exactly where this was leading, and before even thinking through his response, he asked where she would like to go.

“Hm… somewhere we can watch the stars,” she replied.

He smiled and said, “I know just the place.”

They arrived at an artificial lake about ten kilometers outside the city, where there were no lights around, making the countless stars in the sky clearly visible. They stepped outside to admire the night sky. Her heart was beating rapidly with anticipation of what was about to happen. He hesitated slightly, uncertain whether to take the next step, afraid he might have misunderstood the situation. But after a brief moment of hesitation, he decided to try. He knew that if he did nothing, he would regret it for the rest of his life and forever wonder what might have happened.

He moved closer to her in the darkness and wrapped his arms around her waist. When he saw no negative reaction from her, he began kissing her shoulders. His kisses sent shivers through her body — it was exactly as she had imagined it in her thoughts. The kisses and the game continued in the back seat of the car, while she once again felt desired, and he finally received something he had once believed he could only dream about.

But did everything remain the same the following day, when the alcohol was no longer flowing through their veins?

He woke up satisfied with what had happened the previous night and did not feel guilty at all. He simply could not have passed up the opportunity that had presented itself. He would have been crazy to reject it — it would have been like winning the lottery and never claiming the prize.

As for her, she was initially satisfied by the fact that she had gotten revenge on her husband. She looked at him with an almost mocking expression and even wished at times to tell him everything that had happened, just so he could suffer. During arguments, she nearly lost control and came close to throwing the truth in his face.

But before long, things changed. Her husband began staying late at work less often, and gradually everything started returning to the way it had once been. She enjoyed spending time with him again, and that became a problem because the desire for revenge slowly disappeared. Now she wanted to confess what had happened that night and ask for forgiveness, but she was afraid of the consequences.

She regretted what she had done because she no longer had peace within herself. She realized that everything in life is temporary. The problems she and her husband had faced were merely a phase that would eventually pass, and because of that, she should not have rushed to conclusions. But the damage had already been done.

In the end, she decided that some things should remain in the past, and some secrets should stay hidden forever — for everyone’s sake. The decision she made proved successful. As time passed, the feeling of guilt slowly faded until everything became nothing more than a memory.

And if they had not accidentally run into each other today in the middle of the big city, perhaps it really would have seemed as though nothing had ever happened between them.