(My attempt at writing fiction furiously fast with the above picture as inspiration)

She was struck by the resemblance of the man in the black and white photo to someone who was a significant person to her in her late teens to mid-twenties. The photo was tucked neatly into an inner frayed pocket of an antique travel case that was displayed on a vintage brocade blue and gold upholstered seat outside her favorite antique dealer’s shop.

She often paid the antique store a visit on her way to the weekly Saturday farmer’s markets where she bought organic produce with which to make her meals. The antique store was a treasure trove of vintage and antique items. She would scour though the store and would often come across items from another era that often became for her a must have.

The photograph though discolored was otherwise in immaculate condition. The memories that flooded back were a mixture of happiness followed by great sadness and immense regret. She met him when she was eighteen years old and he was twenty six. He was funny, well mannered, charming and he swept her off her feet. She stood no chance against his very persuasive manner. He was eight years older and much more experienced in the ways of the world. She by comparison had lived a protected life, was naive, still in school and was totally taken by his intense presence. Every time he stopped by to visit, he took her breadth away and she could barely find the words to speak a coherent sentence or two. Slowly though she gained her confidence to hold her own in his company. She started to think she had found the one and her heart filled with love. She spontaneously smiled every time she envisaged living and filling a lifetime of memories with him.

And then one day her world fell apart as he betrayed her and dashed her dreams of living a life of happy adventures with him. She discovered that he had callously used her to make another jealous. She had been used as bait in his wicked, cruel, twisted and immoral game. She was blind sighted but even though this low blow initially devastated her, she somehow managed to muster the will and drew on a deep seated strength that prevented her from retreating completely from the world.

The betrayal caused enormous injury to her heart and soul. She lost all trace of trust and steered clear of any friendship that had the potential to become something more for a very long time. It was only through sheer will and determination that she did the work to gradually return to a place from where she started to trust again, to believe in the possibility of meeting someone who would be the antithesis of her betrayer. She finally started to accept that her experience was an unfortunate exception and she slowly began to give herself permission to open her heart and mind again to the possibility of finding a genuine, respectful and honest love.

She walked quickly by the photo in the suitcase with its remaining contents, hoping that it would be snapped up by a collector so that she would then never have to lay eyes on it again.