A 1000-Piece Love Story
In the third year of their love, she decided to leave—not just him but this place as well. She wanted to go abroad, feeling too constrained and eager to explore the world. He didn’t utter a word to make her stay. Instead, at the airport, he gave her a box of puzzles. He said, “This is not an ordinary puzzle. It’s exactly 1000 pieces. I don’t want you to finish it quickly. I hope you place a piece whenever you think of me. When you complete it and if you want to return, I will be here waiting for you. If you don’t want to come back, then I wish you well.”
And so, she took the puzzle and flew away. Occasionally, she would call him or write a few emails. Their conversations were always casual. She didn’t mention her return, and he didn’t ask.
In the first year, she saw cherry blossoms at Mount Fuji. She said she had only assembled 150 pieces of the puzzle because the cherry blossoms were so beautiful that she barely had time to think of him. In the second year, she started strolling along the small streets near the White House, seemingly thinking of him more as she had completed 480 pieces. In the third year, she suddenly wanted to see the beauty of Cambridge and went to this place known for farewells. That year, she had assembled 819 pieces.
Friends urged him to stop waiting for her because she was moving farther away and wouldn’t return. But he just smiled and said, “No, I will wait for her. The Earth is round. Although she is getting farther from me, she is also getting closer.”
In the fourth year, he didn’t receive any letters or calls from her because she had returned and became his wife. Friends were surprised. How could someone who disliked being restrained come back and become his wife?
She always smiled and pointed to a picture in their living room, saying, “It’s because of that.”
Looking up, it seemed just like a picture made up of many small puzzle pieces. Due to the constant travels of its owner and the passage of time, it had lost its original bright colors and looked rather dull, with a commercial feel due to its lack of artistic expression.
“It’s nothing, just an ordinary picture,” friends always remarked, puzzled.
“Look closer,” she would patiently say, pointing to the lower right corner of the picture.
There, in traditional Chinese characters, was the word “love,” a heart-filled “love.” One of the small puzzle pieces making up the “heart” was different from the others, newer, with a different sheen, as if it had been replaced with a new piece.
When she had completed the 999th piece that year, she was stunned. Remembering what he had said at the airport, she understood. And so, she returned, letting the one who had always been waiting for her place the final piece, completing the heart, their love, and their story.
Life is like a big puzzle. Each of us searches for our pieces, wanting to make it vibrant and colorful. But no matter how we assemble it, if we don’t find the person who holds the last piece to complete our life, everything is in vain.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
