愛情的分叉路 / What could have been .... ?

I came across the picture of my first love when I was the least expecting it. I was doing some research and there it was, staring out of the page at me. The emotional impact was similar to dropping a stone into the middle of a peaceful and quiet pond: The concentric ripples could be felt right across the time span that links the past to the present and the stone just went straight to the bottom, stirring up all kinds of old memories.

As mentioned in a previous article, I thought I had put away literally my emotional luggage and everything had been under control. Life has reminded me once again that I am not the sole director. That night, I couldn't help but sobbed a little, not so much because of "What could have been ...?" but rather, of my reflection on the factors and circumstances at the time that inevitably would cause us to go our separate way in life. There is no self-rationalization or regret. As I look back at that juncture in life, I feel quite emotionally with a strong sense of wisdom gained, but innocence lost.