For the Love of Sophia

      She bore a striking resemblance to a past love of mine, who was the one that never broke my heart. If it wasn't for Freud, I might have thought the lookalike would be the same. Her hair looked smooth and was golden brown in color. Unlike my ex-love, her hair was easily long enough to reach her belly button. Similarly to her, the stranger wore glasses and thick eyelashes. The last time I saw the original, her eyes had lost that sparkle in them. The copy still had it, but her eyes were a little darker. I thought it fitting and complementary to her thick black eyelashes.

      When I came across the lookalike, I was sitting on the bus. I was on my way to work, or at least to my office. There was a novel I intended on studying that day, but I was too distracted. I was too focused on the beautiful impostor. I contemplated the entire day about the girl who had dared intrude on my memories.

      I had to meet her.

      For several weeks, I attempted to see her without success. I became almost absolutely furious with the copycat. How dare she tempt me so and then vanish! She may have shared the appearance of my angelic lover, but she shared not the beautiful personality. She rejected me, I think, and avoided me as well! Eventually, she did come into sight again. I engaged in an active pursuit of the lookalike.

      “Excuse me, miss, but I was wondering if I could get your name. You remind me so dearly of an old friend of mine.” I said to her politely in a pathetic attempt to engage her in conversation. Luckily, she took pity on me and removed the masking scarf from her face, revealing to me her youth. She could be no older than eighteen, and no younger than fifteen. Her beauty was just as aged as my past lover's was.

      “Sophia.” She replied with a voice of pure innocence and gentle care. There could be no doubt in my mind. She was my lover reborn. My past lover, Sophia, who was lost to me when our short relationship ended.

      “You share her name, Miss Sophia. Are you certain you have never before gazed upon my face?” I questioned her with hope in the impossible. She shook her head.

      “Yes, sir. I'm sorry. Have you been looking for her long?” She replied as socially expected. Her voice soothed my throbbing heart. I shook my head in reply.

      “I have wished to return to her ever since I left her safe arms, but the passage of time is not so kind. Where are you off to?” I said with a sigh filled with the regret of being. Her feet shifted nervously as the bus came to a halt. She looked out of the window at the world beyond our traveling place of existence. She thought for a moment like my dear Sophia used to.

      “To school.” She replied hesitantly without once glancing back at me. I wondered what she might be doing at a school.

      “What is it that you do there?” I asked, disregarding her appearance of youth. She gave me a look of surprise that told me that the answer was far too obvious to be spoken. There was a dreadful silence between us. She pushed the button to signal that she wished to escape the quick traveling place of existence, and to escape me. I stood up beside her.

      “May I escort you there, for old time's sake?” I offered as the bus rolled to a halt. She looked over at me and shook her head.

      “I'm sorry, but the passage of time is not so kind.” She told me as she stepped off of the bus, leaving me to the machinations of time.

-Zero