She had fled to paradise. But nothing had changed. The emptiness had persisted. Only now, it felt more excruciating because it was a stark contrast to the beautiful world outside.
Back home, over the last weeks, the cloud cover had kept on expanding, steadily, relentlessly. It was not only above, it was all around, seemingly endless, heavy on her shoulders, suffocating.
Once the emptiness had completely taken over, it wouldn´t leave just like that. It never did. It was persistent, to the point of despair, no matter what she tried. Sadness is one thing but even the worst kind of sadness, being heart-broken, is somehow endurable with good friends and a couple of drinks around. But the absence of any feeling, any feeling at all, is nothing but agony.
But reading his short stories touched something deep inside of her. She felt like walking down the street, sunshine on her face, finally being able to breathe again. All of a sudden, the thick layer of clouds around her had vanished and lightness had replaced the nagging emptiness.
She could relate again, feeling all of it. Mainly melancholy though. What a sweet feeling! Something had moved her deep inside, making her feel alive. It was the imagination of him thinking about a woman he had met years ago, in summer, en la piscina del pueblo. She herself had the time of her life as a kid hanging out all summer in the public swimming pool until her hair turned green from all the chlorine. It feels like a lifetime away. Not only because it is ages ago but because it was before the emptiness had come into her life. Imagining to be this guy had connected her again, not only to the outside world but to her own feelings that had been buried somewhere deep inside.