She started feeling dizzy. The entire café was spinning in front of her eyes. Shutting her eyes tight, she counted 1…2…3, hoping it would pull her out of this terrible nightmare. Yet, as she slowly opened her eyes, everything remained as it was. The same café, a cup of coffee lying cold, and the man she had devoted ten years of her life to, sitting in front of her.
He was the love of her life; the man she had shared her dreams with, the man she had loved deeply. And yet, just a few minutes ago, that very man did not so much as flinch while announcing his decision to end things between them.
Here she was, held hostage by disbelief and betrayal. Angry words were piling up inside her, waiting to be let out. But all she could muster was a helpless sob. She knew she had to get out of there before turning into a heartbroken mess.
Throwing a final glance at her now estranged partner, she picked up her bag and the remains of her dignity and left the café.
She somehow made her way to the park around the corner and found a quiet spot that finally allowed her to open the floodgates. Drowned in tears, she suddenly felt something warm and fuzzy curling up at her feet. She looked down, only to find a small bird with a broken wing, struggling to take flight. Suddenly, all her woes seemed of little consequence before the plight of the poor bird. Here she was, crying over her partner walking out of her life. But this little bird, despite her injury, was refusing to give up.
Without wasting another moment, she gently picked up the bird and wrapped her scarf around it. Her grief was now taken over by compassion, and she knew what really mattered now—to nurse the little bird back to health. Filled with a new sense of hope and purpose, she wiped her tears and made her way back home with her new companion.