The night was dark and still.  Only the soft sounds of the nearby traffic penetrated the peacefulness of the night.  The waves that lapped against his dock would normally calm him down and relax him.  But not tonight.

Today was the start of a new year.  Last night had been filled with parties and friends.  Yet even surrounded by people, he had never felt so alone.  Sure he had put on a good face for everyone, but now that he was completely alone, there was no need for the façade. 

Sighing heavily, he heaved himself out of the deck chair and slowly walked barefoot to the edge of the dock.  He took a deep breath as he looked across the lake at the happy family houses.  Their twinkling lights mocked his aloneness.  Something caught his attention and he looked down into the swirling water and became mesmerized as an item spun with the waves. 

It crept ever closer before it drifted away for a moment. 

Without thinking, he dropped to his stomach and lay down on the hard wood of the dock.  His head hung over the edge as he stretched his arm down and let his fingers run through the cool water. 

The item danced away once more, but he reached as far as he could and grasped the tip of the ribbon.  He drew the semi-inflated balloon up close to his face and examined the minute details of the design – how the colors darkened closer to the top.  It was large in his hand, he wasn’t sure what had compelled him to pick it up.    

He didn’t even notice the splinter that embedded in his hand as he pushed off and stood, item still in his hand.  Walking slowly back to his chair, he twirled the balloon in his fingers.  There was a noise signaling something was inside. 

The deck chair moved back an inch as he almost fell into it again.  Before he reached for something to break the balloon, he looked up and studied the brightly lit sky.  Even the moon had the company of the stars. 

The balloon bobbed with the light breeze and brought his attention back to the dock.  On the table next to him lay a pen and a notepad he had been using to play with some lyrics.  He grabbed the pen and used it to pop the balloon.  The sound was loud in the darkness. 

Carefully, he peeled away the softness of the balloon and exposed the contents.  In the middle was a tightly rolled piece of paper.  Taking a moment, he set aside the balloon and it’s ribbon until he held only the paper. 

He looked at the paper he held, somehow knowing that the secrets it held would change his life. 

With all of his attention on the item in his hands, he never noticed that he was biting his lower lip.  Slowly, the paper unfurled and its secrets revealed. 

Crying, desperate, fighting
Questions scared to let go

We used to be so beautiful
But the days go by and
Things get better

I'm weary from the war
I'm losing half my soul
But the days go by and

Past the point of reasons
I just want you to believe
That it's not your fault

Cry your eyes to sleep
It's like a thousand rainy nights
Oh, drowning lows

Photographs, the close up, what we had
Come undone

Where did it all go wrong?
The days go by and
Things get better

**  Excerpt taken from JC Chasez’s Dear Goodbye

The words tugged at JC.  They were so passionate.  He read the words a second then a third time.  Unknowingly he loosened his grip and the paper flew back into its tight spiral.  He tightened his grasp, not letting it fall to the ground.  He noticed something on the back so he opened it again looking at the back this time. 

Written in the same flowing script,

You have hurt me for the last time, I’ve cried my last tear for you. 
I don’t know where we went wrong, but things are going to get better now. 
Forever, Kate

He felt bad for a moment, obviously prying into someone’s private pain.  But the words called to him, they spelled out exactly what he was feeling, only he had been unable to find the words. 

His head fell back against the chair as he let the paper roll up again.  The lines on his forehead became more prominent as he considered the words again.  Already his mind was racing as he grabbed the notepad and pen, never letting go of the precious paper. 

Furiously scribbling, he wrote the words down, checking once to make sure he had them right before he added his own thoughts.  Now a melody was playing in his mind and he tapped his pen as he softly sang the words aloud. 

Perhaps this could bring healing not only to him but also to the person who wrote so beautifully.

Maybe this was the reason he was alone tonight…