The Story of Two Butterflies
In the cold north wind, he stood on the long platform, watching the northbound train and listening to the fading “clack” of the wheels. The melancholy of parting occupied most of his heart. She was heading north for her graduate studies, while he decided to stay in this mountainous small town and become a high school teacher.
As they parted, she said, “After graduation, we’ll take root in the mountains, like two free and happy butterflies.”
He recalled their serendipitous meeting in college. It was a cold winter morning in their junior year. She was walking with a friend along the road near the campus when a menacing man snatched her bag, causing her to be dragged to the ground. Blood oozed from her forehead, and her friend screamed in panic. But she got up and tried to chase after the man, as the bag contained her monthly living expenses. At that moment, he happened to be passing by, and without hesitation, he chased the man down several streets. The man, realizing he couldn’t escape, threw the bag back and fled. Fortunately, her injury was minor and only required a simple bandage. In their conversation afterward, he learned that she lived in the same mountain range as him.
From then on, they traveled home and back to school together. Eventually, they fell in love, promising to settle in the mountains and bring hope and light to the remote areas.
But youthful vows couldn’t withstand the sword of time or the temptations of the city. During her graduate studies, she excelled in literature, and her articles were frequently published in newspapers and magazines, gaining her fame. She became surrounded by admirers and began to doubt her initial dreams, yearning for the glamorous life of the city. Gradually, their communication became sporadic and distant until it ceased altogether. But he, every week, walked five miles to the town’s only internet cafe, repeatedly reading the greeting cards and emails she had sent. Then, he would stare at her greyed-out QQ avatar, leaving disappointed each time, vowing to end this chapter of his life.
Sometimes, he couldn’t resist calling her, but their conversations barely lasted before she hurriedly hung up, saying she had too many social obligations and too many articles to write. Before he could say goodbye, the “beep, beep, beep” of a busy signal echoed in his ears. Closing the phone, the silence of the mountains became unbearably lonely, and tears quietly slipped down his face.
One day, he sent her a breakup email. From then on, they were worlds apart, never to contact each other again.
Five years passed, and over a thousand days and nights gradually healed the wounds in his heart. In September of that year, through a matchmaker, he met a simple woman. But just as his wedding was approaching, he received news from a friend that she had been diagnosed with kidney failure. She had been on dialysis for two years, but her condition was worsening, and she urgently needed a kidney transplant to survive. There was no suitable donor, and she didn’t have the money for the operation. Her life was hanging by a thread.
Upon hearing this, his heart was struck hard. He decisively called off the engagement and rushed to the city where she lived.
He was going to donate his kidney to her, with the only request being that the hospital keep the donor’s identity completely confidential, not even revealing his name.
The kidney transplant went smoothly, and she was discharged as scheduled. But who had donated their kidney to her? Although the hospital refused to disclose any information, when she looked through her medical records, a thought of him suddenly crossed her mind.
After confirming with friends, she was certain that the donor was him. Tears quietly filled her eyes.
On a bright spring afternoon, she walked into the mountain school where he taught. He was in the middle of a passionate reading session with a group of children. When he looked up, he saw her standing by the window. In that moment, excitement and regret, emotion and happiness, intertwined.
They eventually reunited and got married. Years later, she couldn’t resist asking him, “After we broke up, why did you still donate your kidney to me?”
He gave a simple, awkward smile and said, “Not all butterflies that fall in love can fly together. Only those whose hearts are truly connected, who root their lives in each other’s, can stay together forever…”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
