~~~
It had been two weeks since Kira pressed restart. She was gone from Jim’s life now, and he was left alone.
Now Jim found himself for what felt like the hundredth time in the past 2 weeks, standing on a sidewalk staring across the street at a particular house. His eyes remained on the large brown door, hoping—expecting, even—that it would open and Kira would step out. She would come down the driveway, hurry across the street and wrap her arms around Jim’s neck like she had hundreds of times before. He could see it happening in his mind. Where was she? What was taking her so long? He just wanted to see her. But he wouldn’t.
Jim knew that Kira was inside, but it was a different Kira. A new Kira, just a couple of weeks old. She was just a baby now, and she no longer knew who Jim was. She didn’t even know who she was herself yet.
While Jim could still try to be a part of Kira’s life, he knew that it wouldn’t work. He was practically an adult now, and there was just something not right about being in Kira’s life. Not only was there the impractical age difference, but there was the difference in their choices. Kira had made her choice to leave Jim, and he had made his decision not to follow her. This was just the way things were now, and there was no sense in fighting it.