Rubbing his hands together, he tried again to reduce those tremors that had started before leaving home, due to the nerves he felt for what could happen that day. The perfect summer weather, bright and warm, was not in accordance with all the feelings he had trapped in his chest, starting with that great sense of nostalgia and remorse that lived by his side since the departure of that person he could never get out of his mind.
When he looked up, he froze and stopped breathing for a second, there she was, as beautiful as the first time he had seen her in the third grade classroom, but unlike that moment, she was not smiling at him. He decided to take the initiative with a smile that probably looked like an insecure grimace, gesturing towards the chair in front of him to invite her to take a seat, surprised anyway when she started to approach.
"I thought I would never see you again, Federico."
"It's been a long time since the last time, Clara, so long that now we have gray hair and wrinkles."
"That's what happens when you get old, you were the only one who thought I was going to make it to this age without looking like a dried-up raisin."
"At least I was right that I'd still have hair."
Finally, Clara gave him a smile.
"Why after all these years did you decide to call me? Don't take this the wrong way, but the way things ended, years ago, I never imagined we would talk again." Sadness could be felt in her voice as she said those words.
Federico stared at the table for a moment, unable to connect his gaze with Clara who was patiently waiting for an answer that judging by the way this one called the waiter of the establishment where they were, would not arrive soon, but that did not matter too much to her, as she knew that in moments of tension her companion was the kind of person who tried to divert the tension towards something more.
"Are you still drinking your coffee the same?" Federico asked, steeling himself.
"Yes... why change what works well?"
Making a sound of understanding, the man focused on the waiter.
"If you can bring us two coffees, one black with one sugar and one light brown with three sugars."
"Oh, and you still have the palate of a three-year-old."
Federico laughed, shaking his head.
Silence dominated the table once the waiter left, but surprisingly, he returned after two minutes with his coffees ready, so Federico decided to take a good sip of his coffee looking for energy, since the dreaded moment had arrived, it was time to have the conversation he had wanted to have for a long time but had never had enough will to overcome his fears.
"I know the past should stay in the past and it may not make sense to talk about this now after so many years, but the day I ended our relationship I made one of the worst mistakes of my life by being an asshole. You were my first love, sometimes I think even the only one, because after you I never met another woman who made me feel the same way I felt with you." He said with tears in his eyes.
"Federico..."
"No, no, let me continue, please." He begged her. "I regretted every day, but my pride prevented me from coming back to you, I thought I had made my decision and there was no turning back, that I had to live with that pain of having lost you, it was my punishment for not having been the husband you deserved. But I have reached a point in my life where I would not want to die taking that regret with me."
Taking one of his hands to his lap, Federico took out some envelopes that he placed on the table without saying anything else. Curious, Clara took one of the envelopes, noticing that they were addressed to her, so she immediately looked at Federico in search of an answer to what was happening, because she did not understand anything at all. At that point, they were both crying.
"This will be my last coffee, Clara, the doctor said that with my health condition I can't continue consuming it, apparently I have been sick for some years now but I didn't know it, now that I know it unfortunately it's too late. The truth is I can't complain about the life I've had, it has been prosperous, but I would have preferred to have you by my side, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more."
"All these years we've wasted and now there's no more time." Clara lamented.
"Yes, but we're still here. Of all the people I could share my last coffee with, you were the only real choice."
"What's in these envelopes?"
"You can say I'm a liar if you don't believe me, but I still loved you even after I left, I wrote you a letter for every year I didn't have you with me telling you about my life, telling you how much I missed you and asking how you were doing, I was never brave enough to send them, but there they are. You can choose not to read them, if you wish, but I don't want to take that with me, they were always yours, as well as my heart."
Reaching across the table, Clara took Federico's hand, squeezing it tightly.
"Let's make this last coffee worthwhile, and from here on, all the time we still have, because I also have a lot to tell you, my dear."