The Green Shirt

I'd had it for a year or two. Maybe longer. I can't remember. I would give it to Kitty to wear on those nights she missed me. It wasn't anything much.
A t-shirt. Large, even on me. Light green in color. I wore it during the summer, because it kept me cool and the extra fabric had plenty of room to wipe my sweat on. I could get it really dirty, but it always came clean.
I would leave it on Kitty's teddy bear when I left. Sometimes I wouldn't tell her, so it was a surprise when she got back to her apartment. She always liked that.
Then, Kitty and I broke up. She had the shirt at that time. She still has it. She told me it's been sitting in her dresser since that August day. I told her to keep it. No, I insisted she keep it.
I didn't really have a reason at the time. I thought that someday, it might provide comfort to her again, like it comforted her before. I thought.. I don't know. I just knew I didn't want it back.

But now, I have a reason. That shirt is a reminder.
A reminder of the good times we shared.
A reminder of the first healthy relationship Kitty was in.
A reminder of the love we had together.
I don't need a reminder of that. I have the memories.
For me, the shirt's absence is a reminder.
Do I miss the shirt? Sometimes, a little. I got some good use out of it. But, I have other shirts. A drawer full of them, actually.
While I may miss one shirt, I know it's still getting used. Some day, I might ask for it back.
Not yet.