Hello was the word that came to mind when he felt the summer sun brush against his skin like a whisper. It was also the single word he had approached her with that warm day. It was not much of a conversation starter, but it was enough for her to reply to.
Goodbye was the single word she spoke when they parted that very same day. He left with the promise of a date, and the image of a shy blush dusting her pale cheeks fresh in his mind.
So long was the single sentence he had replied with.
Hello was how they greeted one another everyday after that. It was a simple word, but it had a powerful impact to anyone who heard them utter it to one another.
Goodbye became a word of sorrow when they parted, even when they knew they would see each other the next day. Seconds apart felt too long.
So long was the sentence of softly murmured promises that ensured they would soon meet again.
Hello was what they said with beaming faces to their newly born daughter. She had her father’s soft hair and her mother’s dark eyes.
Goodbye turned into something terrifyingly real when that same girl left home to attend college, her two parents standing before her with barely restraint tears.
So long was what he whispered under his breath on his daughter’s wedding day, only his own wife standing close enough to hear him. Her hand clutched his tighter between them.
Hello encapsulated how they approached life now that it was just the two of them. It had been long since their family had been anything but a grand total of three.
Goodbye was what they decided to say to their old lives.
So long was how they bid farewell to their home of forty-three years. They were ready to live a life of adventure together.
Hello was said very irritably to their quickly approaching old age. Along with aching bones, came a need to slow down, and declining health.
Goodbye was what she whispered to the freezing winter air before crawling into her somehow colder, much too large bed. Her tears eventually lulled her to sleep.
So long was once again a promise between them, even if only one of them still had the aging voice to mutter it.
Hello.
Goodbye.
So long.
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